Grantblings

Creative Mondays #044 – A Schedule

I believe I mentioned on here before my philosophy of “If you want to make (insert creative pursuit here) your job, you have to make it your job.”  This is something that came to me when I decided to quit substitute teaching and focus, full time, on The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd.

This idea has been coming back to me a lot recently because, even though I get creative work sporadically, it has been a little slow and there’s no major work on the horizon.  I have personal projects I want to work on but my days are spent lazing in the depression that my talents aren’t good enough.  They aren’t valued.  They are needed anywhere.  Why work on things when there’s no point in doing so?  Thanks negative brain.  Thanks a lot.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about refocusing on that mantra of ‘making creativity my job’ and started thinking more about creating a schedule for my creativity.  When you work any job, you have a schedule.  Why would a creative job be any different?

Right now it’s all in the early planning stages  but I’m in the process of setting up a daily 9 to 5ish type schedule for myself.  There are certain creative goals I want to accomplish and I think treating them like a ‘job’ even if I don’t get paid for it, will help get them done.

The setup I’m looking at is the schedule will work Monday through Friday.  I would have to put in 6 to 8 hours a day into it, with short breaks in between.

The day would be broken up into different times to work on different projects.  For example: 2 hours a day working on new songs for Throwing Toasters.  2 hours working on Uncle Interloper projects.  2 hours editing audio or video.  At the start these would be rigidly timed with a timer set to go off at the end.  Though, if I’m really working on something when the timer goes off, I’ll keep plowing through it.

The more I think about this set up, the more I like it.  I also see how it’ll be tough to stick to but I think after a week or so, I should be able to kick it into a habit.

I’ll really treat is as job.  Maybe I’ll even buy a time clock and make it official.  I think this would also help get other goals in focus as well.  My friend Joshua Zehner and I had a long discussion once about how having a ‘day job’ made us get a lot of creative work done because you could only do it in your free time.  I’m hoping this creative day job I’m making for myself will help in that regard.  For example, I’ve only read one book this year and I have a ton I want to get through.  I’m hoping this schedule will free up more time to get things like that done.  And I’m really looking at taking Saturday and Sundays off at the start.

The problem with setting a schedule, I think, is that you can’t schedule when inspiration will strike and you need to be flexible and open to that happening.  But I’ve read a lot of articles that say if you schedule your creative time, inspiration will meet you there.  I’m eager to find out.  Also, this day job has to allow time off if ‘real’ work rears its head.  Can’t turn that down.

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Do you create on a schedule?  If so, what is your schedule and how do you organize it?  Let us know in the comments below!  Have a great week!