How to Plan Creativity
How to Start and Finish a Creative Project
Do you love being creative?
Awesome! We do too!
Do you also have a hard time starting or finishing your creative projects?
No worries that used to be us too!
As creatives, we know that there are lots of problems you can run into, but today we wanted to share a simple and effective planning process that can help you finally start and finish one of your creative projects, instead of letting it languish about, not getting anything done.
The trick to starting and finishing your projects is PLANNING!
If you can practice this habit of PLANNING and then DOING creative projects, you’ll be:
more productive with your time
prolific with how much work you produce
and able to stay balanced with home and family life
Sound good? Okay great! Below you’ll find the 4 steps to help you PLAN your creativity and go from ideas to action!
4 Steps to Help You Plan Your Creativity
Here’s Kristin’s simple and effective planning process in 4 easy steps that can help you finally start and finish one of your creative projects!
1. Get clear on what you want & commit
So the first step is to get very clear on WHAT you want and then to commit or decide.
You can do this by writing it down clearly. Write out what it is you want (ex. start a podcast, paint a picture, write a short story)
It’s important to describe what completion would look like and what defines the start and finish of this project.
You might have a project that never quite seems to be finished, but what parts of that project can you complete or finish?
2. Break down the project into steps
Starting a big project can be overwhelming. That’s how we felt when we first started the podcast! But the trick here is to break down your project into different steps.
First you can look at the big picture steps. Then break that down into an actual first step in detail.
This step is important, because as creatives we might think that creativity can’t be scheduled. “I can only act when inspiration strikes!” But we’ve learned that you can actually train your brain to show up creatively on demand. You can do this by taking note of when you’re most likely to be mentally creative during the day (ex. in the morning, after a shower etc) and then work with that. Remember, the more you use your creativity, the more you have!
3. Take imperfect action
Simply put, you’re going to do what you said you’d do.
You’re going to follow the plan!
If you’re historically prone to not following through on promises to yourself, that’s okay, we promise if you start small you’ll slowly be able to develop trust in yourself overtime! And that trust is something worth working on! It’ll allow you to keep finishing wonderful creative projects over time. We promise! That’s how we’ve been able to start and finish lots of our dream projects so we know it’s possible for you too!
4. Review & report
Be sure to schedule a time to check in with yourself periodically. We love doing a type of monthly check-in with ourselves.
This step is important because it helps you be accountable for what you said you’d do vs what you did (This is not the same as being hard on yourself)
It doesn’t need to be complicated or dramatic. Once you take an honest review, then you can make a clear, doable plan for the next month!
Want extra help with this planning process?
Kristin has a FREE 5-day email course called The Prioritization Process that goes over these steps in much more detail.
It’ll help you balance multiple projects, decide where to focus, and systematically work through your creative projects to completion!
Want to listen in?
Click below or on apple podcasts & choose episode 132 to listen to the full podcast episode.
You can also search The Progress Project on any podcast app including Spotify!
Podcast Ep. 132 How to Plan Creativity
Is it possible to plan creativity or do you need to wait until inspiration strikes? We’ve found that not only can you plan creativity, but there’s actually a reliable process to follow for your creative projects
In this episode you’ll learn:
The 4 step planning process that can help you start and finish a creative project
How to be more productive and prolific in your work
Why you need to get super clear on what your project’s completion will look like
How to break down a project into doable steps
The key to making progress when you’re feeling stuck
Links Mentioned
If you’re new, here’s our Email Newsletter sign up where you can get fun journaling prompts, extra ideas from our episodes and inspiring examples to help you live with more purpose, creativity, and joy!
Join Kristin’s free 5-day email course called The Prioritization Process that’ll help you balance multiple projects, decide where to focus, and systematically work through your creative projects to completion!
Want to dive deeper into your personal growth? Join us on Patreon and get personalized help & all the resources you need to make real progress on your creative projects and personal goals!
“The moment you get started, your life will begin to change. You can expect to see yourself practicing different thoughts, trying out new solutions you hadn’t thought of before, and understanding some of the limiting beliefs that have held you back.” Learn more about joining Patreon HERE.
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Ep. 128 3 Questions for a Monthly Review
