I used to ask every podcast guest: “What productivity or time management hacks do you use as an entrepreneur?”
I’ve stopped asking that.
I’m no longer lit up by trying to make my habits atomic or maximize my time.
The work of Tricia Hersey, Ebony Janice Moore, Tara McMullin and others has helped me (along with everyone I know) to question whether productivity is the measure to focus on and strive for.
We’re here to heal, play, love and rest and BE, and when we do more of those things, we make it more possible to create the world we want.
When we’re talking about running a small business, which is my lane, I find that to create something new like a new business or a new program, we need something different than productivity or time management.
We need to nurture our creative energy.
How do I know time management and productivity alone are not the answer?
When suddenly given a huge amount of time, we don’t usually make as much progress as we had hoped to.
We might use that time scrolling or spinning our wheels.
Lots of folks discovered this during lock down.
So when a person asks me how many hours a week it takes to build a program beyond private practice, I could say…at least 3, better 5, and better yet 10.
But really, I find that nurturing your creative energy for an entrepreneurial project is more important than how many hours you give it.
Side note for folks running private practices:
Running a private practice might be a bit different…
It’s a terrible idea, and I don’t recommend it, but you may have noticed that you CAN run a private practice with scraps of energy, at least for a while. You probably know how to scrape together those scraps or energy to show up for your clients.
Here’s what Katherine Eastlake says. She runs a private practice and has a program for therapists wanting to deepen embodied practice.
“I can be fairly dysregulated and settle quickly when a client walks into my room/pops up on Zoom. But when I am writing my newsletter or designing a training, I feel like I need more time and space to ground myself and orient to the process. It is a different energy with different requirements of my mind and body.”
To move beyond private practice and create something new, like a signature program, you can’t just add time and productivity hacks.
Pomodoro timers and to-do lists are not going to get you there.
You need to access your creative energy, and that means devoting yourself to replenishing that energy.
Here are five ways I nurture my creative energy:
1. Devote myself to the things that make me feel expansive.
I get creative energy when I devote myself to all the things that make me feel more expansive. I need to play, feeling my feelings, talk to people who inspire me, listen to podcasts and music that move me, go on walks, sing, and dance.
2. Set deadlines that people know about.
There’s a sweet spot for each of us between having deadlines and having the freedom to move at our own pace.
I crave more freedom when I’m facing too many deadlines, but when completely lack deadlines, I’m not creating a lot.
Even this episode would not necessarily be here if I had no deadline for it.
I used to be so internally motivated that I could set my own deadlines that no one knew about and I’d meet them. Um…hypervigilant much? You spotted that? Yes I was.
Now I find that I need to share my deadlines with others.
3. Make room for discomfort in the creative process.
Expect really itchy moments when you have to keep trying/writing/talking/moving your pen so that the work actually happens.
Expect a 3 hour task to take 10 hours sometimes.
Expect to feel like you can’t do this and know that doesn’t mean you can’t do this.
Expect to feel like leaving.
Let your frustration tolerance build.
All of that discomfort is part of opening up to creative energy.
4. Avoid certain things.
In order to access creative energy, I avoid…
- Social media
- Comparison
- Expecting myself to get other things done as much or as well
- New tech platforms or tools
5. Find or build a community so we’re mutually supporting each other in accessing our creative energy.
Build or find a Community of other creators who commit to creating when the world wouldn’t say they have to.
Entrepreneurs are a good bet because they’ve signed up for the tricky thing you’ve signed up for: They’re creating what they want to create AND they’re finding a way to make good money with it.
That’s a different challenge than creating only for the sake of creating.
And speaking of community, I have an assignment ready for you, if you choose to accept it.
Choose someone you trust who believes in you and will give you a loving kick in the pants and send them an email. Here’s your loose script:
“I’m planning on doing something brave. (Here’s what it is). I may try to talk myself out of it. Will you please support me and encourage me in doing it?”
Please bcc me if you like at [email protected]. I’d LOVE to know that you did this assignment.
Show notes at https://rebeltherapist.me/podcast/204
