Liisa Kyle's Blog, page 8

Meditation Techniques for Creative People

By Moyan Brenn from Anzio, Italy (Meditation) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)], via Wikimedia Commons

Meditation can be challenging for DaVincis — creative people with many talents.  So many ideas!  So many projects!  So many things to keep track of!  All these hyperactive thoughts can wreck havoc during meditation.  If you’ve had difficulty meditating, consider trying again.  The psychological, physiological and creative benefits of meditation are many and profound.

Why Meditate?

* to improve your focus

Meditation is basically training your mind to ignore distracting thoughts and to focus on the task at hand.  If distractions are a challenge for you, meditation can help you overcome them.

* to be more creative

The more you can focus your mind, the more you can marshal your thoughts and channel them in innovative ways.

* to ease your mind

Meditation is a well established remedy for low mood, depression and anxiety.

* to reduce stress

Let’s face it.  Being a DaVinci can be stressful.  Managing your many talents, projects, tasks and ideas can be overwhelming.  Meditation is a proven stress-buster.

* to be healthier

The physiological benefits of meditation are well documented and profound.  Basically every bodily system functions better when you meditate regularly.

* to be happier

Research has proven that people who meditate are happier than those who don’t.

* to be spiritual

Since the dawn of religion, meditation has been a spiritual practice that has brought solace, comfort and meaning to its practitioners.

The Meditation Myth

So given all the potential benefits of meditation, what often stops people from giving it a whirl is the misconception that meditation requires grueling (and inconvenient) 20 – 60 minute sessions — or six months in an ashram.  The truth is that you can derive all the psychological, physiological and creative benefits of meditation through very brief (2 -3 minute) sessions, sprinkled through your day.

In fact, according to meditation guru Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, it’s better to aim for more frequent very short  (2-3 minute) sessions than fewer longer sessions.

For DaVincis, this works very well:  we’ve got a lot going on.  It’s easy enough to take a 2-3 minute meditation break when we shift gears or between tasks.

Meditation Basics

The basic concept is to devote some time to quieting your mind. There is no wrong way to meditate.  Avoid beating yourself up if your mind drifts or ideas pop up when you’re meditating. Whatever happens during your meditation period is perfect.

There are a thousand different ways to meditate.  What follows are a sampling of nine basic mediation techniques.

Activity: Try one of the following meditation techniques for a week.  See how it goes.  Then try another for the next week.  Over time, you’ll find out what works best for you, under what circumstances.

9 Meditation Techniques

1. Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright.  Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.  Follow the air entering and leaving your body.  When your attention drifts, gently bring it back to your breathing.

2. Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright and close your eyes. Select a word to repeat to yourself (e.g. ‘peace’ or ‘love’ or ‘joy’ or ‘om’).  When your attention drifts, gently bring it back to your focus word.

3. Select an image on which to concentrate — for example, a beautiful landscape.  Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright in front of your chosen image and focus on it. When your attention drifts, gently bring it back to the image.

4.  Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright and close your eyes. Try to clear your mind completely.  As thoughts arise, label them as ‘thinking thinking’ or ‘judging judging’ or ‘obsessing obsessing’ and allow them to pass by – like clouds pass through the sky.

5.  Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright and close your eyes. Ask ‘What do I need to know?”, quiet your mind and listen attentively for an answer.

6.  Light a candle.  Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes.  Sit upright and focus on the candle flame.  As thoughts occur to you, gently push them aside and re-focus on the candle flame.

7.  Set a timer for 10 minutes.  Walk slowly and purposefully, putting each foot down slowly and carefully.  Direct your attention to your movement.  When other ideas intervene, push them gently aside and re-focus on your steps.

8.  Set a timer for 20 minutes. Lie down in a comfortable position.  Direct your attention to your left foot.  Slowly move your attention to your left ankle for a moment or two. Slowly shift your focus to your left shin, then later your left knee and eventually your left thigh.  Repeat with your right leg.  Continue the process, moving your attention slowly up through your torso, down each arm, up your neck and through your face and head.

9.  Go to the library and choose some ‘guided meditation’ CDs to try.

Recommended Resources

If you’d like to learn more about meditation, here are some wonderful books:

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg

Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Peace is in Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, Arnold Kotler and H.H. The Dalai Lama

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Check out my workbook: YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE:  A Workbook to Become the Person You Want to Be. Available here: http://bit.ly/ChangeYourLifeWorkbook
 

 

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If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

How to Overcome Creative Disappointments

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Vincent Le Moign [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)], via Wikimedia Commons

Every talented person has experienced some disappointments in their creative endeavors. We get the call-back but not the part.  Our slam-dunk script fizzles when put through the studio wringer. The exhibition jury rejects the sculpture we were so excited to submit.  Our book proposal the editor adored is quashed by the bean-counters on the publishing committee.  Disappointment is even more pronounced with multi-talented people — first because we tend to take risks in more arenas…and second because when something goes wrong in one area, it’s apt to affect our momentum in others.  Given all the risks and challenges of the creative process, disappointments are inevitable…and it’s natural to experience them and to feel sad about them.  Maybe even have a brief little pity party.  But if that lasts too long, you’re hurting yourself and probably squelching your present and future creativity.  It’s time to overcome your disappointments.

1.  Manage your expectations.

Disappointments arise when our expectations for a creative project differ from the apparent results.  Yes, it’s important to ‘dream the dream’…while not getting caught up in how, exactly, the dream unfolds.  Many paths lead to your creative goals…to the extent that you can allow them.  If you are overly dependent on things happening in a particular way, you may be setting yourself up for heartbreak.  Yes, you want an agent to sign you…and there are  a thousand ways that can happen.  It doesn’t help if you lock onto one and only one path to get there.

2.  Focus on the process, not the product(s) or end point(s).

You have little control over much in the creative world…except for your own actions.  You can’t control trends or random acts of God.  Much as you might like to do so, you can’t control others’ reactions or decisions.  About all you can do is to keep creating, keep producing and keep taking steps to advance your work — regardless of what’s happening around you (or what seems to be happening to you).

3.  Realize that you don’t have the ‘Big Picture’.

Things just ‘are’.  Labels don’t help. Any given event could be ‘good’, ‘bad’ or ‘indifferent’…and it’s pretty much impossible to accurately determine which it is.  For example, let’s say a gallery says ‘yes’ to exhibiting your work.  That seems ‘good’, right?  Now imagine that there’s a fire in the gallery and a lot of work your work is lost.  Now your exhibition seems ‘bad’, right?  But wait — because of the fire, let’s say that you now get a lot of press and new commissions…well then the original ill-fated exhibition seems ‘good’.  But what if you can’t handle your new-found fame, or you get swindled by unscrupulous financial managers or…you get the idea.

Often ‘disappointments’ are really ‘blessings in disguise’ when viewed from a bigger perspective or a longer time frame.

4.  You are not alone.

Every creative person experiences disappointments.  Check out the biography of your creative heroes — it’s instructive to see what disappointments they overcame on their way to success.

5.  What lessons can be learned from the experience?

That being said, what can you do when you find yourself feeling overly disappointed?  One important step is to ask what lessons can be learned from whatever happened.  Is there anything you might wish to do differently in the future? Proceed accordingly.

If, however, you can’t see any apparent lessons in what happened, then carry on as you were…and pay attention.  If you notice the same pattern repeating itself, you’re missing something.  Dig deeper.  What do these repeated disappointments have in common?

6.  What alternatives are there for proceeding?

Whenever disappointments arise, you have options.  You can try again.   You can give up.  You can try doing the same thing a different way.  You can try something completely new.  What makes sense under the circumstances?  Try not to let your ego decide:  What does your gut say?

7.  Retell your story.

When looking back at a disappointment, you have a choice about how you tell what happened.  You can tell a tale of woe…or you can spin it more positively.  You can bore people by chronicling how, exactly, you were victimized…and by whom. Or you can find the funny in it.  Or the inspiration.  The producer said ‘no’ can become a side-splitting monologue…or the seeds of a production company of your own…or a helpful workshop for others.  What story would you like to be telling about what happened? “I failed” or “I learned”?  If you’d like more information about how, exactly, to do this, try Martha Beck’s chapter on ‘Truth’ in her book, The Joy Diet.

8.  Put the past in the past.

That was then.  It’s over.  If you find yourself feeling stuck in the past, take steps to change that.

9. Move on.

The most important thing is to avoid getting stuck.  Yes, you’ve had a disappointment.  Be kind to yourself…and move on.  If you need professional help to do so, get it.  If you don’t know where to start, try here.

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Activity: Think of a recent creative disappointment you experienced.  How did you react?  Have you moved on?  If not, review and apply steps #1 – #9.

Activity: Think about a particular creative goal you have right now.  Brainstorm (at least) ten different ways it could happen.

Activity: Do you have a past disappointment that still hurts?  Rewrite that story.  What’s a non-victim version of what happened?  What did you learn?  Can you view what happened through a comic lens?  What if you were to use what happened as inspiration for something positive — what would that story be like?  Write AT LEAST one new version of what happened.  In your mind, replace your former version of what happened with the new one.

Activity: Select a creative hero and research their biography.  What disappointments did they overcome?  Was there something they experienced that seemed ‘bad’ at first…but turned out to be a blessing in disguise?

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For more ideas, check out my book “GET OVER It:   Overcome Regret, Disappointment and Past Mistakes”.  Available here:  http://bit.ly/GetOverItNow

 

 

 

 

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In the comment box below, please tell us about your experiences with creative disappointments — how did you get over them?

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If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The Da Vinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

How to Stay Motivated on Long-Term Major Projects

Richard Webb / Open road, B6355, via commons.wikimedia.org

The first week on a major projects is like love — exciting and new.   Your motivation is sky high.  Maybe the second week too.  But if you’re working on a  major project over a long period of time, you are likely to find your motivation flagging at some point.  It can be difficult to chip away at a major opus for an extended period of time.  Especially when it’s hard to see much progress.  “What’s the point?” we may wail.  “I’ve been working diligently on my novel all year but it’ll be years before it’s published.”  Here’s are some proven ways to stay motivated on long-term major projects:

Tip #1:  Set Smaller Goals

It will take a while before you can check off a major project like ‘Write Opera’ on your To Do list.  It can be demoralizing looking at ‘Write Opera’ for weeks or months or years as it fades on your white board.  But what if your goal was ‘write at least one song a week’ or ‘devote at least two hours of composing per day’.  Rather than thinking about the end product of your major project — which might be years away — you can boost your motivation by focusing on what you can do in the short-term.

Note that you need to pick manageable, doable regular goals that fit your particular situation — something that’s intrinsically motivating to you.  Some people work best using quotas – targeting a particular task each day or week (e.g. I will develop and test at least three new recipes every week).  For others, it’s better to assign a minimum time period devoted to a particular activity. (e.g. I will practice piano at least an hour a day, at least five days a week).

Note that these goals use the phrase ‘at least’.  This is a way of delineating the minimum you reasonably expect to accomplish, while still inviting you to do more should you feel called to do so.  The purpose here is to stay motivated to meet (or exceed) your goals consistently over time — so you can maintain your motivation and make real, steady progress on your major project.

Tip #2:  Reward Yourself

Allow yourself a pleasant treat for every day or week you keep to your gameplan.  It doesn’t have to cost money.  It might be something like ‘go to the beach and read’ or ‘call a friend’.  Go ahead and generate a list of ‘treats’ you enjoy that fit your budget.  Now schedule them into your week, contingent on accomplishing your small goals for that week. This way, you’ll build motivation into your daily or weekly activities.

The trick here is to actually reward  yourself for doing what you set out to do that week.  And every week.  That’s an order.  If you skip the treats you’ve earned, your motivation will wither.

Tip #3:  Mark Milestones

If your major project is to ‘become a working actor’, for example, there are a lot of milestones you can identify along the way.  To the extent that you acknowledge each milestone you accomplish, the path towards your goal will be more motivating.  For example, you could earn  treats for ‘taking acting classes’, for ‘volunteering on student films’, for ‘volunteering in stage plays’, for ‘creating your reel’, for ‘querying at least five agents or managers per week’, for ‘signing with an agent or manager’, for going on at least three auditions per week’, for ‘getting a callback’ and for ‘being hired for a gig’.

Again, the trick here is to actually reward yourself for your accomplishments along the way — each time you reach or complete a milestone.  This might be difficult for those who are perfectionists or particularly driven or otherwise hard on themselves.  But without truly acknowledging and rewarding your milestones, your motivation will suffer, your progress will slow and your major project will become unpleasant, joyless and jeopardized.

Tip # 4:  Use what has motivated you in the past.

Barbara Sher advocates this technique.  Ask how have you motivated yourself on major projects in the past?  Whoever you are, you’ve accomplished some kind of long term project.  Maybe you graduated school.  Perhaps you lost some weight or learned a new skill.  Whatever you did then to stay motivated or to boost your motivation, how can you apply it to your current major project?

Some of us enjoy crossing things off our To Do list.  I’ve known University professors who gave themselves gold star stickers for every hour spent writing.  Jerry Seinfeld marks an ‘X’ on his calendar for every day he writes a joke.  His motivation comes from a fervent desire to keep the chain on ‘X’s’ intact for as long as possible — to never break the chain.

Tip #5:  Keep your Eyes on the Prize

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves about the big picture:  what are we really up to – and why are we tackling this major project anyway?

It’s also helpful to ask what practices or habits will increase your motivation over time?  Some people like making collages or collecting relevant objects into erstwhile ‘shrines’ that represent their project, then having them handy as a visual reminder.  Others like composing songs as an auditory prompt.  What would work for you?  What would you enjoy making and having handy?

Some enjoy meditating on the big picture, visualizing a successful outcome in great detail, whatever the major project might be – a book, an opera or a life as a working actor.

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Activity: Pick a major project.  Something you’d like to work towards, over the long term.

1.  What are reasonable daily or weekly goals you could reasonably accomplish on this major project?

2.  How could you reward yourself for accomplishing these small goals?   Pick things that you really enjoy, that you really will do, that fit in your budget and lifestyle.

3.  How have you motivated yourself on long-term major projects in the past? What practices or habits have increased or sustained your motivation?

4.  How can you apply those techniques to your current major project?

Activity: Take five minutes to visualize your long-term major project.  Imagine a successful outcome, in great detail.

Activity: Create something to represent your overall major project – it could be a collection of objects or a collage or a song or something else.  What would work for you?  What would you enjoy making and having handy? Whatever you create, keep it near you to keep yourself focused on your overall project.

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For more, check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here for only $3.99: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

 

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If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The Da Vinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

Stuck? Seven Ways to Get Started

By Matthew Bargo [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)], from Wikimedia Commons

Procrastination is painful.   Perhaps you’re having problems getting started on a new project — or mid-way through something and hit a snag – or find yourself otherwise stuck.  Maybe you’re just having one of ‘those’ days and can’t quite get yourself going. Whatever the circumstances, here are seven proven ways to cease procrastinating, to get unstuck and to get started.  Try one – or all – of these tips the next time you’re stuck or stalled.

1. Use logic.  Convince yourself.

Write a list, as fast as you can:  “At Least Ten Reasons Why I Should Start”.  Typically, this is enough of a nudge to get unstuck and overcome procrastination.

Bonus: if you write down your most motivating reasons, you can review it daily and/or whenever you need a boost to get going.  Gather together inspirational reminders to make getting started easy for you.

2. Pick the best time to start.

Follow your natural body rhythms to optimize your chances.  If you’re a morning person, then it’s best to start first thing. If you’re a night owl, getting started is easier after dark.

If your project is ongoing, establish a habit of tackling it regularly, during your best, most productive times.

3. Reduce distractions.

Take a moment to list all the things you know interfere with getting started…or with making progress…or the things that are keeping you stuck.  The goal here is to identify those things that are contributing to your procrastination — and to reduce or eliminate them. What interrupts your flow?  (The telephone?  The kids?  Your email inbox?  The siren call of the internet? The laundry?  Your noisy neighbors?  Thoughts about other projects?)

For each, ask yourself how you could combat this distraction?   For example, if you keep getting distracted by web surfing, you could disconnect your internet connection during your focused work time.   Devise solutions to overcome the distractions to which you’re most susceptible.

4. Promise yourself a reward.

Give yourself a gift for getting unstuck and getting started.  A special meal, a nap, a walk, a fun outing – whatever would be real treat for you today.

Here’s the tricky bit:  you MUST actually reward yourself for overcoming your procrastination.

5. Prepare yourself mentally.

When you find yourself stuck or procrastinating, take a moment to clear your mind.  Close your eyes and think of nothing for five minutes.  Now think of what you want to do and why.  Why is it important to you?  Spend a few minutes reminding yourself of why you’re doing this.  Assuming it’s still important to you, resolve to do it.

Now open your eyes and go do it.

6. Make a public commitment to start.

You could phone or text a creative buddy.  You could email a friend or post a notice on your Facebook wall or send a tweet via Twitter. Whatever your preferred means of communication, the idea is to announce your intention to do something.  Then do it.  Then report on your progress.  Public pressure is a great way to get unstuck, to overcome procrastination and to get started.

For example, creativity guru Julia Cameron makes it a practice to phone a creative buddy to say she’s ‘going to the keys’.  After she spends some time at the piano, she phones back to say she did what she set out to do.  (If her friend’s not there, she leaves a message on her voice mail).

7. Set a timer for ten minutes.

Whatever you get done during that period is ‘enough’.  It doesn’t seem like ten minutes would make a difference, but it does.  Starting is starting.  There’s something about a timer that forces most of us to take action now.  Ten minutes effort will get the ball rolling – and that’s what we’re after.

Bonus: once you actually start, you’re apt to find that (a) the task doesn’t take nearly as long as you thought and/or (b) you want to keep going after the timer buzzes.

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If you’ve tried all these seven steps and you’re still stuck, it’s time to dig deeper.  There’s something else going on that you must overcome before you can get started.

Ask yourself:  what’s REALLY interfering with my getting started?  Why am I stuck?  Why am I procrastinating?  Why am I not doing this thing I in fact want to do?  Identify what’s really going on and address it.

It could be FEAR.  Fear of failure, fear of success or anxiety about the future.  Here, here and here are some articles that explore fear in more depth.

It might be that you are a perfectionist with unreasonably high expectations.  Here are some ideas to address perfectionistic tendencies.

You could be hampered by things in the past.  Are you experiencing residual pain, guilt, disappointments or regrets? That ‘coulda woulda shoulda’ feeling?  Here are some approaches to overcoming your past.

Are you depressed?  If your energy is very low and you’re mind is plagued with negative thoughts like ‘what’s the point?, you need support.  Call a friend, join an online support group and/or seek professional counseling.

Activity: What’s something you’d like to do today?  Where are you stuck?  On what are you procrastinating?  Use one or more of these seven techniques to get started.

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What works for you? When you’re stuck, how do you get started?  We’d love to hear from you in the comment box below.

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Want more tips and techniques for getting things done? Check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here in paperback and eBook fomats: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

 

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If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The Da Vinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

Creative Solutions to Clutter

It’s perfectly natural for multi-talented people to have lots of stuff around — sources of inspiration, supplies, projects and products for every one of their talents.  It adds up. It can be challenging to manage it all while juggling all the activities you’ve got going on.   If your creative workspace is tidy and well organized, congratulations!  You’re reaping the benefits – you’re saving time and energy and being more creative while avoiding distractions and procrastination.   If that isn’t the case, however…if you can’t find what you need when you need it…if your ‘piling’ system has gotten out of hand….if your work surface is groaning under an avalanche of clutter…if your studio looks like is should be featured on the TV reality show Hoarders…then it’s time to declutter.  The challenge is to find a strategy that works for you without causing you guilt or stress.

The DaVinci Decluttering Method is designed to do precisely that:

Step One:  Abandon guilt.

Recognize that clutter is often a natural byproduct of being a multi-talented person.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  Please avoid beating yourself up about the state of your creative workspace.  If, however, clutter is interfering with your talents (and happiness), it’s time to move to Step Two.

Step Two:  Verify your Motivation

It’s impossible to declutter without the proper motivation.   Decluttering can be daunting.  It can be a lot of physical work…and is often surprisingly emotional.  The clutter we collect reflects and represents our past memories, our present lives as well as our future plans and dreams.  (Those aren’t a bunch of rocks — they’re souvenirs from traveling through 51 countries.  Those may look like bits of broken pottery, but really they are a future mosaic, etc.).

You can’t declutter because you think you ‘should’ do so.  You can only declutter if you’re really ready to change.  The DaVinci Decluttering Method addresses this in two ways — first, by having you create a clear, pleasing, innovative alternative to your current cluttered space and second by addressing any underlying issues contributing to the present mess.

First, imagine your perfect creative workspace.  If you could wave a magic wand and instantly transform your current  room into the studio of your dreams, what would it be like?  Be detailed:  what sights, sounds, textures and scents do you envision?  What would you really love to have in this space, if only it wasn’t so selfish/silly/expensive? How would this kind of ideal workspace feel?  What would be the impact on your creative work?

Second, look around at your present circumstances.  What is your clutter costing you, in terms of time, energy, space and productivity?

Third, and most important:  Are you ready to change?  Are you willing to give up some of what’s around you?  Are you really ready to shift things away from their current state and towards your dream workspace?  If yes, read on.  If no, it’s not time to tackle your decluttering yet.  Avoid forcing yourself to take action now…you’re unlikely to succeed and apt to feel guilty, stressed and cross with yourself.  (When you are ready, come on back).

Step Three:  Investigate New Options

If your creative workspace isn’t working well for you, it’s helpful to consider some alternatives.  Seek inspiration online.  For example here are dozens of photos of artists’ studios.

Visit an office supply store, an organizational aid shop and also your favorite art supply warehouse.  Look for new ways to organize your supplies, materials, products and ideas.  For example, if you’re a visual organizer and/or more of a ‘piler’ than a ‘filer’, you can replace your unused, empty filing cabinet with a ‘paper organizer’ — stacks of cubbies into which you can pile your relevant projects.  On the other hand, if your piles are too distracting, you may need to hide them:  consider using cupboards or bookshelves attached with opaque doors.

Flip through the IKEA catalog — odds are high that those clever Scandinavians have devised solutions to your particular organizational challenges.

Incorporate the ideas that appeal the most into your ‘dream workspace’ plan.

Step Four:  Explore What’s Really Going On

If you’re reading this article, you are probably a creative person with a lot of talents who is seeking creative solutions to clutter.  If it was just a matter of buying some organization aids and putting things into piles called “Keep”, “Donate”, “Sell” or “Toss”, you would have done it already.

So why haven’t you?  Because this is not just random ‘stuff’.  This is your stuff — each piece of clutter has its own history, purpose and emotional baggage.  You need to understand what underlies your clutter problem, before you can declutter effectively.

(a) Why is this clutter here?

You might know already.  Maybe you have difficulty organizing your paperwork and need solutions for that.  Perhaps you’re clinging to past chapters of your life…and/or are fearful of the future.  It might be that you have experienced scarcity (or fear of lack) and so have difficulty getting rid of things.  Maybe you’re a shopaholic.  Perhaps, like me, you can’t walk into an art or craft supply place without spending at least $200.   (Damn the siren call of the bead aisle!)  It could be that you have a tendency to start projects, then abandon them before their done.  Off the top of your head, what do you suspect is contributing to your clutter?

(b) Take a random survey of your clutter.  Be like an archeologist surveying a new dig.  What’s there?  Are there items representing the past?  Are there disorganized supplies?  Random papers?  Half-done projects?  Make a list of the different kinds of clutter you have.

If this jives with your answers to (a), yay!  You’re on the way to a clutter-free path.  For each clutter problem you’ve detected, devise relevant solutions.   For example, if you have a bunch of supplies that need organizing, then you could pull them out and use some of the ideas you collected from Step Three to corral them.  Then look at what’s left in your clutter pile and repeat the process.

If you’re finding new issues, yay!  You’re getting closer to the answers that will work for you.  Identify what’s going on and, for each, devise solutions.

If you’re still in the dark, take a step back and ask again:  what is going on here?  Listen to your gut.  If you focus long enough, you should be rewarded with an epiphany or two. “Oh!  I can’t keep my financial papers in order because I’m repulsed by crass, clerical monetary matters — it’s not who I am.”  OR  “I’m an artist!  My workspace is supposed to crazy and chaotic!  It feels wrong to be tidy.” OR “I can’t get rid of those cassettes I never listen to because they represent the happiest time of my life.” If you find yourself getting emotional, you’ve hit it:  the crux of the matter.  Congratulations!  You’re there.  This is the critical question:  Which is more important to you?  Your current situation (including the underlying beliefs) or your vision of your wonderful new workspace?  If you’re ready to let go of what’s been keeping you stuck in clutter, proceed to Step Five. If  not, you’re not ready yet. Take your time and come on back when you are.

Step Five:  Pick a Decluttering Strategy that will Work for You

Now that you know what’s really going on…and have solutions to the different aspects of your clutter problems, the decluttering process should be much,  much easier.

Just a few more choices to make:  Will it be easier for you to tackle a little bit at a time?  Or do you need more of a radical Shock & Awe approach to make a difference?    If the latter seems overwhelming, then go at it, slowly but surely, in bite sized bits. If you think you need to take more drastic action, then do it all at once.  (Details below).

Whether fast or slow, the basic process is to go through your ALL things and sort them.  Use the categories that will work for you.  For example:

By action:  “Keep”, “Sell”, “Donate”, “Toss”

By chronology:  “Past” “Present” “Future” — or “Yesterday”  “Today”  “Tomorrow”

By emotion:  “Hate it”  “Like it”  “Love it”

By talent:  “Painting”  “Welding”  “Banjo”  “Songwriting”

By function:  “Inspiration”  “Supplies”  “Products”  “Business Materials”

By clutter problem:  “Papers to organize”  “Supplies to organize”  “Items representing my Past”  “Half-done projects”

*****

If you opt for the Radical Shock & Awe Decluttering, you’d first go through the preceding steps of the DaVinci Decluttering Method.  When you’re ready to proceed, remove everything from your creative workspace — the furniture, the decor, the supplies, the papers — everything.  Put it anywhere else.

Start with a clean slate.  Begin by creating as much of your dream workspace as possible — paint and decorate it the way you want.

Install the minimum necessary furniture — a place to work plus items to hold your supplies for each of your key talents.  If you have furniture pieces already that work well, keep them.  If they don’t, sell them or donate them and invest in other furniture that will better suit your needs.  If cost is an issue, try CraigsList for bargains.   Note:  you’re not trying to fill the space.  You’re just putting in a few key building blocks — the essentials.  Later, you’ll probably be adding more organizational aids, as you figure them out.  How does your space feel?  If delightful, it’s time to move on.  If not, what adjustments can you make to create a more pleasant space?

Once you’re happy to be in your creative workspace, it’ll be so much easier to sort through your stuff.  Start anywhere.  Pick a box or pile and go through the contents.  Sort it into piles that work for you. Toss, donate or sell what you don’t need or want.  Organize and place what you want to keep.

Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying you’re new, clutter-free space.

*****

What about you?  Please use the comment box below to share your decluttering tips and stories.

*****

Want more tips and techniques for getting things done? Check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here in paperback and eBook fomats: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

 

*****

If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

Why Organize Your Space?

Clutter costs you.  Disorganization takes a hefty toll. Look around you.  Are you in a place that feels serene and calm?  Is the room relatively clean and tidy?  How organized are you? Are things set up efficiently?  Can you find things easily when you need them?  Does your creativity flow easily, unencumbered by piles of laundry and scraps of other projects?  If so, please move along, there’s nothing to see here.  (And we welcome you to submit blog posts about what keeps you organized).  Or perhaps, like many multi-talented people, you are surrounded by piles of things ‘to do’ and have no idea how to organize them all…or you find yourself putting off projects because getting set up to do them is such a pain….or you experience stress and waste time whenever you try to find something.  If any of this rings true, you may be sabotaging your own efforts.  You may think that your current state of disarray is a badge of creativity (“But I’m an artist!  I can’t possibly keep things tidy!”) or a source of inspiration (“All these things lying around give me ideas!”) but truthfully a chaotic space is costing you dearly.  What are the costs of clutter and disorganization?

1. Wasted time and energy.

If your space isn’t organized, you’re losing time and energy unnecessarily.  Ever had trouble locating an important piece of paper or a needed tool or your keys among the clutter?  If you can’t find what you need when you need it, you’re squandering time and energy looking for it. Your disorganization is hurting you.  Get organized to find time and to get energized.

2. Increased distractions.



It’s hard to write that Broadway musical if your workspace is surrounded by ‘to do’ piles or random bits of flotsam.  They will tempt you to leave the task at hand just because they are there, in front of you.  “Oh, this will only take a minute,” you may rationalize.  “I’ll just make this quick phone call and then that’ll be done and I won’t have to think about it.”  Odds are, however, that your phone call will take more than a minute…and will trigger ideas of other ‘quick things’ that require attention…all at the expense of the time and energy you could be devoting to your opus. Disorganization breeds distractions.

3. Built-in procrastination.



By definition, it is harder to get going on something in a disorganized space.  Rather than just sitting down and designing your new fashion line, you first have to locate your desk, clear your desk of the clutter, find your sketchbook, gather your pencils, locate your notes or clippings or whatever else you need.  By the time you’re ready to actually create, it’s time for lunch.  “Okay, no problem,” you think.  “I’ll just have a quick bite and then I’ll be raring to go.”  But you know as well as I do that lunch time will lead into laundry time will lead into “Oh I really should walk the dog before I get started” or “I better surf the ‘net for a bit to make sure I haven’t missed any late breaking fashion news – it might affect my design” and poof!  It’s dinner time and you’re thinking you might as well wait until tomorrow when you can make a fresh start first thing in the morning.  Whereas, if your space was organized in the first place, you’d have completed a whole day of designing already. Disorganization breeds procrastination.

4. Reduced productivity.



This is implicit in points 1 to 3:  If you’re wasting time, you’re not getting done what you wanted to get done.  Ditto if you’re being distracted by whatever’s in front of you.  If you haven’t set things up so that what’s needed is easily at hand when you need it, your disorganization is making things more difficult for yourself then they need to be.  You need to get organized to get more done.

5. Reduced creativity.



Some people resist order because they fear, erroneously, that organization will stifle their creativity.  The opposite is true:  if you organize and contain the chaos and clutter, you’ll be creating a clear and open space within which you will be much more creative.  It’s the difference between having a clean, fresh sketchbook to use…or one that’s already half-filled with shopping lists and recipes and newspaper articles and phone numbers and computer passwords.  Sure, there might be some sources of inspiration in there, but wouldn’t you rather dip into the creative well in your head?  Get organized and create more.

6. Unnecessary stress.



It’s frustrating to spend twenty minutes looking for your notebook.  It’s nerve-wracking to be surrounded by piles of things ‘to do’.  Disorganization can overshadow and undermine any accomplishments you’re making. It can be demoralizing and demotivating.   It can foster feelings of guilt and hopelessness.  “What’s the point of doing X?  There’s still Y, Z and the rest of the alphabet piled here in my office!”  Get organized to reduce stress and increased your motivation.  You’ll feel so much better.  You’re feel relief.

***

You are a multi-talented person.  You have many ideas and projects on the go. Do yourself a favor and get organized.  You’ll get more done and you’ll be more creative – while avoiding distractions, procrastination and stress.

***

Activity: How calm do you feel in your space?  How easy is it for you to find what you need when you need it?  How does the level or organization in your space affect you?  Where might there be room for improvement in how your space is organized?

***

Tell us about your organization tips – what’s worked well for you?  What hasn’t?  What suggestions do you have for other multi-talented people in how to get organized?

*****

Want more tips and techniques on getting things done?  Check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here in paperback or eBook format: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

 

*****

 

If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The Da Vinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

Take Breaks To Get More Done

By Joakim Berndes [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)], from Wikimedia Commons

Want to get more done?  Most multi-talented people have so much to do, we throw ourselves at tasks without taking breaks.  We find ourselves, hours later, in a sorry state:  our pulses are racing, our minds are fried and our ‘to do’ list seems longer than when we began. (“But how can this be,” we wail.  “I’ve been playing sousaphone non-stop for four hours!  Surely I should be discernibly closer to Carnegie Hall by now.”)  It may seem counter-intuitive but one of the best ways you can get more done is by taking breaks in whatever you’re doing.  Rather than blasting away at your sousaphone for the entire morning, for example, insert short breaks into your practice session.  Take short breaks and your embouchure and your neighbors will thank you.

You’ll thank yourself, too.   By taking short breaks

* you’ll keep your energy higher and avoid fatigue

* you’ll avoid procrastination

* you’ll maintain clearer focus and avoid distractions more easily

* you’ll probably experience some ‘aha’ ideas when you step away from your project momentarily

* you’ll get more done

* you’ll find yourself less stressed and healthier

So what’s the catch?  There must be a catch.  Actually there are two.

Catch # 1:



For these mini-breaks to have the desired effect, you need to do them every hour of focused activity and you need to restrict them to 5 – 10 minutes maximum.  You’ll need to set a timer and otherwise manage yourself to maintain this new rhythm:  50 – 55 minutes of work followed by 5 – 10 minutes break.  Repeat.  This means that you really must pause work when the timer goes off – even if things are really humming for you.  And you really must end your break when the timer goes off or else you’re just defeating the purpose of the break you’re taking.

Catch # 2:



There are ‘good breaks’ and ‘not-so-good breaks’.  ‘Good breaks’ include things like stretching, meditating, mindful eating, physical activity (yoga, jumping jacks, crunches or walking around the block), petting the dog, listening to a great song or simply lying down and resting your brain briefly.   Things that are pleasant, peaceful and a change from your major activity are ideal – and this will be unique to you and the task at hand.  Writers need to take a break from sitting at the keyboard whereas dancers need to rest their bodies.  Musicians may need some quiet time whereas actors may need to do the hokey-pokey.

‘Not-so-good breaks’ include things like shoveling unhealthy food into your gullet while maniacally surfing the ‘net while trimming your toenails.  Any multi-tasking, any stressful activity (like calling the cable company) or things difficult to stop after just five minutes (e.g. napping or computer Scrabble or chatting with a friend) should be avoided.  Again, this is highly individualized.

 

Activity #1: Prepare for your Mini-Breaks

You know what is a ‘good break’ for you.  Make a list of ten pleasant, healthy things you could do as a 5 – 10 minute treat between blocks of focused activity.

Make a list of ten things that would be ‘not so good breaks’ for you – things that are stressful or unhealthy or addictive i.e. likely to spill over into the next hour.

Activity #2: Try the Mini-Break Method

1.  Set a timer for 50 – 55 minutes.

2.  Do your focused activity. Avoid distractions.  (If you think of something that needs doing, write yourself a quick note and get back to what you were doing).

3. When your timer goes off, refer to your list of ‘Good Breaks’.   Pick one, set your timer for 5 – 10 minutes and do it.

4.  When your timer goes off, repeat steps 1 – 3.

It might take a bit of adjustment to find the right combination of timing and activities, but once you find what works for you, keep track of your progress and see if you experience the same results that so many of us have, using this method.

We’d like to hear about your experience with Mini-Breaks:  what ‘good breaks’ work well for you?  What doesn’t?  What benefits have you noticed?

*****

Want more tips and techniques on getting things done?  Check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here in paperback or eBook format: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

 

*****

If you’d like to share or publish this article, you may, if you include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The Da Vinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/.

Defining Your Year

image via commons.wikimedia.org

You are a busy person juggling many projects, ideas, and talents.  You’ve got a lot going on.  If you could choose, what kind of year would you like 2019 to be?

It’s up to you.  If you wish, you can orchestrate the upcoming year around whatever is important to you at this point in your life.

What is your number one priority?  What kind of tone would you like to set for the New Year?  If you gave 2019 a theme, what would it be?

Susan’s number one priority in 2018 is to have fun.  Keith would like to focus on his health.  Maria is calling 2019 her “Year of Relaxation” while Clive is looking forward a “Year of Positivity”.  Sandra would like to devote the year to getting organized in every area of her life.  Marta is alarmed by recent events and would like to dedicate the next twelve months to “Action”.

What kind of year would you like 2019 to be?  What would you love to do this year?

***

Activity:  Take a few moments to identify your top priority or theme for the next twelve months.  Define it in a word or phrase.

***

Once you’ve identified the overall theme for your year, take some time to think about what that means to you.

***

Activity:   Write your top priority or theme on a blank page.  Doodle around it.  Jot down words or phrases that pop into your head when you think about your theme.  Sketch or draw.  If you wish, go through magazines and clip out images or words to glue onto the page.

***

Next take a few more minutes to contemplate how you could implement your theme in different areas of your life.

***

Activity:  Clear ten uninterrupted minutes to brainstorm answers to the following questions:

When you think about your top priority for 2019, what kinds of activities or events would constitute a great year for you?
When you think about your top priority for 2019, who would you like to be a part of your year?  Who would you like to spend time with? With whom would you like to have less contact?
As you think about your top priority for 2019, what would you like to do, experience, learn, acquire, or accomplish in your personal life?
As you think about your top priority for 2019, what would you like to do, experience, learn, acquire, or accomplish in your work life?

After you conclude your brainstorm, review your answers.  Circle the one to five items that are most important and most appealing to you.

Rewrite this list of top ideas and put it somewhere you will see it every day (e.g. on your computer, in your phone, on a Post-It by your toothbrush).

***

If you’d like more ideas about Making the Most of 2019, check out my book:

http://bit.ly/MakingTheMostof2019

http://bit.ly/MakingTheMostof2019

 

 

Make the Most of 2019

http://bit.ly/MakingTheMostof2019

What would you like to do with 2019?

Some people like to set specific goals for the New Year.  Others prefer to give some general attention to a particular area of their life.  Keith’s priority in 2019 is to focus on his health.  Maria’s is to relax.  Maybe you’d like to travel.  Or learn.  Or create.  Or do good deeds.  Perhaps you’d like this to be the “Year of Fun”.  Maybe you’ve been overly career driven and this is the year you’ve like to give more attention to your home life.

It’s entirely up to you:  What would you like to experience this year?  What’s important to you?  What would you like to explore or learn?  What would you like to accomplish, acquire, or complete?

The beginning of a New Year is a terrific time to pause and ask yourself these questions.  New Year’s Eve is more than just a festive excuse to party…it’s a chance for a fresh start.  Kinda like pressing a personal “re-start button.”  If you choose to do so, you can use the opportunity to look back at the preceding year and take stock of your present circumstances.  You can identify what’s working well for you and what’s not.  You can make thoughtful, purposeful decisions about how to live the next twelve months.  With a little forethought, New Year’s Eve can be a pivot point to do more of what you love and less of what you don’t.

If this sounds appealing, I’ve developed a workbook to guide you through a process to make the most of the coming year.  It’s completely up to you:  What would you like to do, experience, explore, learn, accomplish, acquire, or complete in 2019?

Note the emphasis on you.  You.  Not what your Mom or your boss or your childhood chum might want.  What kind of year would you like 2019 to be?  What matters to you at this point in your life?

What would it mean to you if you made the most of 2019?

Whatever your desires for 2019, I can help.  I’m an author, life coach, and Ph.D. in Psychology who has spent the past twenty years helping people get things done, get organized, and get more out of life.  I’ve coached individuals, facilitated groups, and taught inventive workshops on four continents.

I’ve designed this book so you can get the most out of 2019.  Think of it as a personal seminar with a recognized expert, tailored to your unique circumstances and preferences.  Inside this workbook are proven tools you can work through at your own pace to foster whatever is important to you.

That’s what makes this book special.  It’s a flexible guide that will elicit different responses in everyone who uses it.  It’s up to you to apply your distinctive perspective to create and implement a plan suitable to your particular circumstances.

It’s actually two books in one.

It begins with a Self-Guided Workshop you can work through at your own pace to:

understand and appreciate 2018
generate ideas for all areas of your life
identify your true top priorities for 2019
make achievable plans for 2019

The remainder of this book is designed to keep you on track throughout the year.  You’ll have the opportunity to customize the Planner/Calendar to:

implement your plans for 2019
monitor your progress
make adjustments as needed

A Word About “Resolutions”

The way most people do traditional “New Year’s Resolutions” is not very effective.  They tend to be overblown “To Do” lists that become a source of unnecessary frustration.  They can be overwhelming or intimidating.  They often become abandoned which can cause guilt, shame, and a sense of failure.

The alternative is to create a prudent plan that can be reasonably implemented, given your specific circumstances.  That’s the purpose of this workbook.

If you’ve been disappointed by past attempts at “New Year’s Resolutions”, let me reassure you.  As a life coach, I’ve developed proven techniques for you to figure out what you want and then devise achievable plans to make that happen.

Maybe you’d like to set some specific goals.  Perhaps you’d like to solve a problem.  Or participate in some key activities to enhance your life.  Or establish new habits or practices that are uniquely gratifying to you.  It could be that you have an unfulfilled dream or an unfinished project on which you are yearning to make some progress.  Maybe you’d like to reduce or eliminate an unhelpful or unhealthy habit.

It’s up to you.  Using this workbook as a guide, you have the opportunity to figure out what’s right for you, right now, to make the most of 2019 — then devise achievable plans suitable to your particular circumstances.  The Planner/Calendar is designed to help you actually do what you intend.

Give yourself — or someone else — the give of a wonderful 2019.  Paperback available here:  http://bit.ly/MakeTheMostof2019

 

Use a Five-Second Delay to Improve Your Working Relationships

image via commons.wikimedia.org

As a DaVinci — a smart, creative person juggling many ideas, talents and projects — you’ve got a lot to contribute.  Maybe too much.  You may be giving SO MUCH input, you’re inadvertently stifling the contributions of others. Or, worse, irritating them.

Does this sound like you:

1.  On the phone or in meetings, do you tend to speak at the same time as others?

2.  Do you think out loud?  Do you start speaking, formulating your sentences as a way of figuring out what you want to say?

3. Are you a super-verbal person? Do you speak quickly and extemporaneously?

4.  Have you been described as intimidating –especially in meetings?

If yes, rest assured that you are not alone.  Many of my coaching clients find themselves ‘over-contributing’.  Like you, they are fast thinking, creative people who generate a kajillion ideas every day.  It’s natural to want to share thoughts as soon as they occur.

So what’s the problem?

Look at the people with whom you’re interacting. How are they responding to your contributions?  Are they responding in kind?  Or does it seem like they’ve given up trying to get in the conversation?  Do they seem happy — or frustrated or annoyed? If your colleagues are fully energized and engaged by your passionate contributions, terrific.  HOWEVER, if they’re not — if they seem withdrawn or irritated or bored, your zeal may be inadvertently damaging your working relationships.

Okay, maybe my colleagues don’t look delighted.  What’s the solution?

It’s great to have a lot to contribute.  And it might  behoove you to adapt your delivery a bit, for the sake of improving your working relationships.  Specifically, when you have something to say, employ a Five Second Delay before you speak. Use these five seconds to

(a) formulate your point completely (yes…before you begin to speak), and

(b) decide the best way to contribute it, if at all.  Does it make sense to blurt out your point verbally in this particular moment?  Would it serve you (or others) more to receive it via email or in an off-line conversation later?  Does it really need to be said?  By you?  At this particular time?  Use your considerably brain power to consider your options and to choose what makes sense.

Why implement a Five Second Delay?

1. You’ll enhance your verbal power.

When you use the extra time to formulate your point, you’ll be able to express it more succinctly, clearly and effectively.

2.  It will literally slow you down.

Your mind works much faster than the average person.  Given your rapid-fire cognitions, your verbal input can seem almost like you’re ‘pouncing’.  By pausing a few seconds, you’re less apt to be ‘pouncing’ and more likely to be ‘presenting’ your point.

3.  It’s nice.

The five second delay is a polite way to share your contributions — as a way of  adjusting your pace so others feel more comfortable.

4.  It allows others to participate. 

You don’t need to be the one conveying every idea.  By pausing a few seconds, you may find that someone else has the same idea — but hasn’t had the opportunity to express it.

Especially introverts.  Whereas most extraverts think aloud like you do, introverts compose their thoughts completely prior to uttering a word.  Even when you know this, it can be painful for an extravert to wait for an introvert to respond. For example, when I ask my husband, a rabid introvert, a question, the several seconds it takes for him to formulate his response can seem like an eternity.  Even though I *know* he IS actually answering my question, I can get impatient if something urgent is going on.  If I start to hop up and down, he’s learned to hold up a hand and say “processing” to remind me what’s going on in his head.

(Yes, the Five Second Delay technique can be profitably applied to personal relationships, too).

5.  You’ll get more information.

When you give people more time to answer, they’ll tell you more.   There’s a natural human urge to fill any lull.  By creating mini-lulls, you’ll create more opportunities for input.

***

Want more tips and techniques for getting things done? Check out my book  YOU CAN GET IT DONE:  Choose What to do, Plan, Start, Stay on Track, Overcome Obstacles, and Finish

Available here in paperback and e-book formats: http://bit.ly/YouCanGetItDone

 

***

Want to re-publish this article? Go for it – just include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/ .