Hi my dear creative spirit!
Today I’m talking about something I hear again and again over the years – from my students and my fellow artists – that there just isn’t enough TIME for your art.
I’m here to bust this myth and blow your minds, because “there IS enough time!” I promise you.
Sometimes it seems like it’s a code of honor to be busy all the time, but all that noisy busyness can really exhaust your energy. I’d like to invite you to reclaim your Me Time.
And remember – it’s selfish NOT to make your art. It’s selfish to NOT share your gifts with the world. So when you give yourself Me Time – you’re getting better for all the people around you. I know boundaries can be hard, but they’re So. Worth. It.
Getting balanced
I’m going to share some tips about how to get super clear, organized, and balanced with your time and energy, so you can stop feeling like there isn’t enough time and your art doesn’t get made – because that’s just a tragedy!
Part of having time is making time. Get clear about your priorities, and let go of the rest. Look at your Time Sucks – i.e. if you’re doing a lot of scrolling on social media, or reading too much news, wouldn’t you rather be creating your best art than wallowing away in mindlessness?
Digital Detox
If the internet is a time suck for you, I recommend a free app called Self Control app – and yes, there’s an app for that, because sometimes that’s really what it takes! You blacklist distracting webpages, like Facebook and news pages – whatever is distracting you to the point of consuming you.
For bonus points, try deleting Facebook and news apps from your phone.
Smart Strategies
If you’re commuting, you can consolidate phone calls during your commute… (use your ear buds though, safety first!) You can do emails and other work too, if you’re on public transport.
If you’re cooking for your family, you can batch-cook one day a week: think huge pots of soup and curries – so you’re not starting from scratch at every meal.
If you’re cleaning up the house all day, maybe change your budget to hire a housecleaner, giving yourself that gift of more time.
Making Space
Decluttering your stuff also creates more time, because if you have less stuff, you have less stuff to clean and pick up. Grab a huge bag or box, label it “goodwill,” and start piling stuff in. Release it all to make room for something more — and set your intention for that something more to be more time for your art.
Remember – you’re so much more than your productivity. It may be time to let go of some things in your life that you’re just slogging through. You can design your life to be more spacious so your art practice can really flourish.
Letting go
Ok another thought, that’s a little more personal – but if you’re hanging onto any toxic relationships – Why? Life’s too short to waste your time on people who don’t treat you right. Your whole world will open up once you let those go, I speak from experience.
Since this is really individual, you need to get really clear about exactly what’s sucking up your time – and then consciously you have to decide how to rearrange it – but it can be done, and it should be done, right? Because this is your life. And if you’re an artist, your art needs to be prioritized in there, however works best for you.
Designing Your Life
I’m a firm believer of strongly deciding – how do you want to spend your days? And we all have obligations to balance – but once we can really design our own days and our owns lives – then we’ve really taken our creativity to the next level, and now our life is art.
Free Creativity Ritual
I hope that helped, and if you want to go even deeper, I created a beautiful, free Creativity Ritual to help you:
• Clear away mental chatter and noise
• Slow down and breathe
• Open up to your inspiration and inner voice
It’s a 4 minute ritual, and it’s totally free for you, so just hit this link for the ritual and enjoy it.
Ok, see you next time 🙂
xo Meghan Oona
P.S. What are your thoughts on reclaiming your time? What are your Time Sucks? I’d love to hear your challenges around time, so please share below…
meghanoonacliffordblog.com 