6 Ways To Manage Your Day

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” – Ray Bradbury

In the book, Manage Your Day-To-Day, 20 creative minds shared insights on how to stimulate your mind most effectively daily. This easy read has sections that take about 10 minutes to read, but with enough profundity to leave you with food for thought. After reviewing the key takeaways of the first section, I wanted to share how these points helped me!

Get your pen and paper out, or your phone, and jot these down – it’s worth it!

---

• Great work before everything else: Do your most meaningful creative work at the beginning of your day, and leave “reactive work” – like responding to emails and other messages – for later.

Just like working out at the gym, I put my energy into my most significant project first. This helped me prioritize all of my daily projects and leaves me feeling more accomplished… even if I don’t get everything done. From home projects to work stuff to hobbies, this is a great principle to follow!

• Jump-start your creativity: Establish “associative triggers” – such as listening to the same music or arranging your desk in a certain way – that tell your mind it’s time to get down to work.

After studying myself, I learned that my associative triggers include a clean space, sitting at a table, and having a pen and paper to offload ideas or todo’s I could work on later. Doing so minimized distractive thoughts and feeling the need to get it done ASAP.

• Feel the frequency: Commit to working on your project at consistent intervals – ideally every day – to build creative muscle and momentum over time.

I try to write every morning, but I post on my blog on Mondays for now. Most days, I post what I wrote the morning of! By feeling the frequency, I write at the same time in a similar environment for a certain amount of time. If I’m out of ideas, I write about my current observations to keep the writing momentum going. By building this creative muscle, I’ll be able to post more throughout the week.

• Pulse and pause: Move rhythmically between spending and renewing your energy by working in 90-minute bursts and then taking a break.

I started with 30-minute bursts, which lead to an hour which lead to 90-minute intervals. THIS helped me a ton! It also took away a lot of guilty feelings for not getting daily projects done, too. I start by setting a timer and working on the most significant projects, then I take a break and ‘break-away’ from the workspace. Pulsing through and pausing has helped me realize I’m not a machine, but a creature who needs a break now and then to function at my best. Pulse and pause to refill your creative tank!

---

• Get lonely: Make a point of spending some time alone each day. It’s a way to observe unproductive habits and thought processes and to calm your mind.

This isn’t just a secular recommendation (none of these points are) because even “non-Christian” books take principles from the Bible. Meditating alone is essential. You notice things that wouldn’t be obvious if you were in go-mode. To get lonely can mean to go on a walk by yourself, sit on the couch, or journal.

---

• Don’t wait for moods: Show up, whether you feel inspired or not.

In today’s culture, A LOT of us go by what we feel. “I don’t feel like it…” “I feel like…” etc. My husband and I challenge each other to do everything wholeheartedly, whether we feel like it or not. Moods and feelings will repeat themselves, but if you bypass them and go for it (whatever that “it” is), you’ll be a step closer to where you want to be. This also changed my belief about writer’s block!

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller

As a reader and writer, I’m inspired to inspire others. Reading books such as this one helps me to stay motivated. When we intentionally seek discomfort, we grow. We need to challenge the process and our daily routines, find our focus, and sharpen our creative minds to get closer to where we want to be.

How do you manage your day-to-day?

Which of these points stood out to you?

What do you do to stay inspired? 

This post is solely for entertainment. Not associated with affiliate marketing.