Creativity Tips: Give Yourself a Gift

A couple of weeks ago, I spent Friday - Sunday goofing off. It may have been right after Thanksgiving. Whatever, I didn't do a dang thing that was productive.

You know what happened? Monday, I got up and wrote a poem I really, really like. I edited it a little the next day and my writers' workshop edited it a little more, but ... basically ... it was good from the get-go.

Remarkable? Well, I hadn't written a complete poem in months and this one wrote itself in minutes.

The fact that I was happily creative after a three-day break isn't coincidental. Our hectic lives are creativity killers. Multi-tasking remains a myth. Minds need time to focus and, now and then, the focus must be on rest. So, I'm going to blog this week, then take the rest of the year off for a holiday break.

But enough about me. How are you? Excited about the week ahead? Or stressed about everything you need to get done? Hmmm. That's what I thought. OK, here's what you're going to do:

1. Take another look at your to do list.
2. Scratch things off that don't really and truly have to be done.
3. Sit back and smile.

Time is one of the best gifts we have. And we can give it to ourselves. Ain't life grand?