ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Clutter & Creativity
Take a look around you right now. Look away from the computer screen and scan around you ? the surface of your desk or table, now scan farther to look at the rest of the room. Close your eyes and imagine the rooms you can't see from here; particularly the space where you most often work on your creative projects. Take a deep breath and really take in the image. What's the impact? If you're like me, a reformed pack rat and clutter-magnet (and I think many creative people are), you might even find it difficult to breathe - almost like the piles, mess, unwanted and un-useable items are taking up air. Well, they are! Clutter, essentially anything you don't need, use or love, affects your creativity on many levels. In your workspace, it's messy and makes it harder to find and use what you need to get your work done. In your schedule, it creates chaos and a feeling of a lack of time. In your mind, it clogs the pathway to your intuition and feeds fear and self-doubt. In your heart, it blocks out love and peace by hanging onto negative emotions from the past. In your body, it weighs you down by making it harder to take care of yourself and harder to hear the messages your body sends you. In your relationships, it clouds your communication and affects your ability to give and receive. This article will give you come clues for how to spot clutter in your life, and tips on how to begin clearing it out. Do you have physical clutter? 1. Do you spend a lot of time looking for things when you're trying to work? 2. Do you feel uninspired, or even dragged down, by what you see around you in your workspace? 3. Does the clutter distract you by reminding you of things you need to do (broken things that need to be fixed, half-finished projects, unanswered mail, unpaid bills)? 4. Are there things in your workspace that you haven't looked at in years? 5. Does anything in your workspace remind you of unpleasant experiences? Creative energy needs space. While some of the artists I spoke to when writing my book, "The Creativity Interviews" (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/creativity-interviews.html), seemed to thrive in chaos and busy-ness, most equated creative flow with a peaceful serenity surrounded by open time and open space. Aside from space and freedom from clutter in our "home base" (the workspace where we write routinely), sometimes it's OUT THERE that we actually do our best work. Riding on trains, sitting in cafés or surrounded by nature. Do you have time clutter? On any given day: 1. Are there many things you did that you didn't enjoy doing? 2. Are there many things you did that you didn't need to do? 3. Are there many things you did that didn't do you any good (maybe even did you harm)? The clutter in our schedules can lead to a chaotic life while things just seem to "happen" to us. Do you have mental clutter? 1. Are you distracted by thoughts while you're trying to write? 2. Do you criticize yourself in your own mind? 3. Do you spend time re-playing conversations or events? 4. Do you spend time speculating about future events? Sometimes the chatter in our minds is constant and difficult to decipher. Other times there are the same boorish and loud messages over and over again ? messages like "You can't do it!", or, "You're no good!". All of them are distracting and make it much more difficult to hear our muse. Do you have emotional clutter? 1. Do you "brood" about arguments long after they've happened? 2. Do you hold grudges? 3. Do you spend a lot of time focusing on the things in your life that you don't like? Emotional clutter stems from the same pack-rat habit of not wanting to let go. Instead of hanging onto an old sweater missing a button, it's hanging onto an old emotion. Once an emotion is over, it's over, unless we choose to hang onto it. That's a powerful ability we have ? to either stay enraged, sad or anxious over something that happened three days ago, or three YEARS ago, or let go and give ourselves the freedom. Do you have relationship clutter? 1. Is there someone in your address book that you'd like to let go of? 2. Do you find it hard to concentrate and listen intently to people? 3. Do you find it hard to be open to what other people are offering you (i.e. the appreciation of your audience or a compliment from a friend)? 4. Do you find it difficult to freely give (i.e. to perform without being preoccupied with your own thoughts)? 5. Do you say "yes" to everything that's asked of you? Sometimes we hold on to broken relationships for the same reasons we hold on to broken things: because we think they can be fixed (and that we're actually going to take the steps to fix them), and because they're familiar and safe. The clutter in the rest of your life blocks your communication ? it's just too hard to listen with your whole heart when there are layers of clutter in the way. This affects your inner listening as well ? your ability to tune into your intuition, your "muse". Stage fright is a BIG form of clutter. Is clutter impacting your health? 1. Are you "too busy" to exercise? 2. Is fast food easier because you can't find your kitchen counter? 3. Do you exhaust yourself with a busy day and then putter around trying to "wind down" until late in the evening? 4. Do you not notice (or pretend not to notice) symptoms of illness or injury until they're so severe that you have to take drastic measures? 5. Do you have a hard time falling asleep because your mind is whirling around or your emotions are surging? If we're surrounded by clutter and chaos, things like eating vegetables or walking around the block just don't seem do-able or important. And yet if we don't take care of our bodies everything else becomes much, much harder and can lead to fatigue, illness, trouble concentrating, pain, addiction and weight problems. Tips for Clearing the Clutter 1. If you're serious about tackling your physical clutter, I recommend the book, "Clear your clutter with Feng Shui", by Karen Kingston. She has wonderful ideas for clearing your clutter and also helps you to have a much deeper awareness of how the clutter got into your life in the first place. 2. One simple method to get the physical clutter out is to create three piles (boxes are helpful), labeled: Give away, Throw away and Put away. You can add other categories if you like (i.e. recycling, repair). 3. To quiet down your mental clutter, try writing. In the Artist's Way, Julia Cameron recommends writing three full pages every morning. Find your own method ? write to do lists, poems, lists of everyone you're mad at, talk back to your inner critic, write about whatever's swirling around your hear. You can also write down questions for your muse ? help with a particular verse or a request for general inspiration. 4. To deal with your time clutter, just say "NO". This is a muscle that might need some exercising. Put yourself and your creative pursuits first ? just because you're at home, that doesn't mean you have to be available. 5. If emotional clutter has your heart tied up in knots, practice letting go. Forgiving someone doesn't mean condoning what they've done. It means freeing yourself and being open to positive emotional experiences. 6. To improve your relationship with your audience and combat relationship clutter, think about what they're hoping to get from your performance ? maybe to be transported by the music, to be inspired, to have their feelings put into words, to be soothed, to be "rocked", to be energized or to be cradled. You have an enormous power to give them these gifts. This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter's Resource website (September 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com. © Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services. All rights reserved. Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, "Everyday Artist", subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Much Is Your Time Worth? Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work? What Momma Never Told Me About Housekeeping A lot of us grew up with Mom taking care of most everything. Now, we do things pretty much the way she did. What if there is a better way? If you are buried under the daily clutter of life, always wondering where you put "that damn thing", read on. There is hope. All you need is a little direction and you can take control of your house. Tossing and Turning "The real question is, why do you want it? What are you going to do with it? That's where you've got to start; otherwise you're going to waste a lot of money." Give Up Control to Get Control For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove by doing it all themselves. People say to me all of the time, that someone else just can't do for them, the things that are on the "to do " list. Well, that is not only a ridiculous statement, but one that can be proven wrong over and over again. We all strive to appear in control. However, you cannot be in control if you are constantly struggling to juggle events and lists. So give up some of the control. I know that is a scary thought, but do it. By having professionals handle the items on your list, you will amaze your friends and family by having more time to enjoy life and you will seem more in control than ever. Don't worry. We don't expect you to do this cold turkey. We are going to give you tips on accomplishing this daunting task after we shock you into reality. Don't Be A Statistic! Here are the facts......I think the expression is "read 'em and weep." I know I wanted to when I saw these numbers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average U.S. family works between 105-115 hours per week. So let's run the numbers. 168 hours in a 7 day week x2 (if 2 people are working those hours) = 336 Less 110 hours for work Less 112 hours for sleeping Less 28 hours for eating Less 15 hours for commuting So what's left........71 HOURS!!! That is 71 hours for both workers total. Look like a big number of hours? Keep running the math. (If you are single that leaves you with 35.5 hrs - cut everything in half) Now what do you have to do in that 71 hours? Remember, if you are doing something as a family (both workers), you have to double the hours used when you subtract from the 71. Spend time with your family Run/attend children's activities (i.e. soccer, music lessons) Run errands Visit friends/relatives for special occasions Make purchases - clothing, gifts, daily needs Your Organizing DNA Do you like storing your papers on top of your desk in trays, baskets or just plain piles? Do you have a preference for Post-it notes and maybe some colorful file folders? Or are clearly labeled files and file cabinets more your style? Do you 'file' or 'pile'? I make it a practice of testing my workshop participants for this very thing because of its importance in creating and supporting an effective, organized workspace. 3-Step Clean Sweep Program to Organize Getting Started Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 1 The following procedures will insure an organized and well run office. Declutter Your Home in 11 Easy Steps Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it will be a whole lot easier. What Balance Looks Like For You Recently, in an online group, we talked about "balance" and an article one member had read decrying the demise of balance altogether. We all had different ideas about what balance is and how to reach it, and I realized, after a number of posts, that we were all right. Creative Storage Solutions When the things in your home start crowding in around you and you're short on cash, it's time to come up with some creative storage solutions. Don't be afraid to think "out of the box". You're the only one who has to know where everything is stored. Spring Clean Your Life Spring is here and its time to sweep away the wintertime blues. Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. William Morris 35 Santity Savers - Get More Productive Use these 35 sanity savers this year to help you become more productive and get more done in less time, so you can get on with life! The Natural Law of Attrition I'm cheap and proud of it. Get Organized - Stay Organized My mother is one of the most productive people I know. She is 78 years old and still works full-time as the personal assistant to the CEO of a bank. (I come from great genes-it makes me very optimistic about my long-term future!) One of her secrets to productivity is what is often called "a tickler file." It used to be a popular organizational tool but eventually fell by the wayside. The tickler file is a reminder system based on the days of the month and months of the year. It simply consists of two sets of file folders: "1-31" and "January-December." It's time to bring that old system back. Be More Productive - Books to Help You Be More and Do More! How many of us have enough time to do everything that needs to be done? Answer: NOBODY! The key is doing that which needs to be done RIGHT NOW and setting the right priorities. Life has changed, and we have more flexibility to do what we want, when we want, provided we set the RIGHT PRIORITIES. These books will help you increase your productivity by at least a factor of 10... maybe more! The True Definition of an Organization The true definition of an organization is one that is organized. Organized in all areas of fundamental business best practices. A business that is not organized should instead be known as a chaoticization. Spruce Your Environment, Spruce Your Spirit After a long winter, this is the time of year to spruce up your environment with a good Spring Cleaning. It's amazing what doing this can do for one's state of mind. How Clutter Chases Money Away Have you ever heard that having a cluttered home can cause money to run away from you? I know, I know...it sounds like airy-fairy mumbo jumbo, but think about it for a moment... Oh No, Not Another Interuption, How To Deal With Everyday Distractions Every day I find junk mail waiting for me, whether it is snail mail or email. Unless I deal with it immediately, I will be faced with piles of unwanted paper, or a full inbox, which just distracts me. It can be very frustrating trying to find something which is buried in a drawer or hidden under a pile of papers. Not only is this distracting but it also takes time and can lead to added stress. Every time you look at a pile of untidy papers you may just notice yourself sighing and notice, too, how your energy is diverted into feeling guilty about one more task not yet done.
|
|
|
|
|
