“This time is for this.”
When you work with multiple creative projects, it can be effective to get specific about when you work on them. Otherwise all times and no times belong to each project – so you’re equally at risk of both over-focusing on one project and ignoring it completely.
I’m working right now on a big project without a firm deadline but which will require a lot of concerted effort to finish. Luckily, I can break it into smaller chunks and equally luckily, I can do it from everywhere.
I reliably spend one hour a week in a waiting room, and I’ve committed to pairing up this project with that waiting room. The results are clear:
- I don’t feel guilty not working on the project at other times.
- I feel consistent progress on the project.
- I make good use of the time in the waiting room.
Not every project can be completed within these kinds of narrow parameters, but every project can benefit from the time spent on it being more structured. Whether it’s writing music (weekdays, 4:30-6, for a long time), walking the dog (every day when the kids get on the bus) or rehearsing (Mondays, promptly from 7:00 to 9:00), the structure around time can be really clarifying for scope and for creation. “This time is for this.”