Creative Building Blocks

Do you ever get stuck writing or creating something that’s not part of your primary job?

Like many of you, I have the problem of getting started or working consistently on my side projects, those things that aren’t my primary job but that I still want to do: writing articles, creating a new course, scripting a video, etc.

I set aggressive (often unrealistic) targets for these, and  in spite of high hopes and best of  intentions, I end up procrastinating. I get distracted, do something else, miss my own deadlines and then beat myself up over it.

A solution that I now use to overcome this comes courtesy of my friend Siok Siok Tan, a Singaporean filmmaker, who recommended setting aside an hour a day, every day,  to work on the designated project.  The time can be longer, but the one hour is inviolate – no calls, no socials, no faffing around.

Set the intention every day, block it off and make it happen. It’s not too much or too big and
at the end of the week, you’ll have five solid hours or more put in – very measurable progress.

Multiple projects? Block a couple of hours each day. Just think baby steps – they add up pretty quickly and you’ll make real progress without the angst or the guilt.

Anybody else have similar strategies?