Do you sometimes struggle with finishing a project that you started? What helps you stay on task with your creative work?
The Power of Creativity: How to Conquer Procrastination, Finish Your Work and Find Success (Book 3) by Bryan Collins.
This book is the third in a three-part series focusing on the completion of creative projects. Creating something all the way through to the end is the full cycle of innovation.
Sometimes it is OK to leave some original work unfinished. Know that some of our work may remain incomplete. The phase of half-done projects is part of the creative process, where scraps of ideas linger on the floor of our imagination. If we enjoy or find profound meaning in our creative endeavors, it is essential to see them through to the end. Here are a few highlights to support the full circle of the creative journey.
Keep a Notebook
- It takes hundreds to thousands of little ideas to create one big impression (p. 171)
- The goal is to finish the small ideas
- Begin with action, then start and complete the next step (repeat until finished)
- Failure and mistakes are part of the process
- Be realistic in setting your goals to complete a creative project (p. 179)
- Use non-digital tools (such as a pen and notebook) to document and brainstorm your ideas (e.g., use index cards, one thought on each card, to map, re-sort, and re-map to generate new ideas)
- Then digitally document your project after the initial brainstorming and innovation
Find Solitude for Deep Thinking
- Solitude is necessary for personal growth – allows you time to identify skills you need to improve and time to work on them without interruption (p. 190)
- Solitude also provides an opportunity for deep thinking (p. 192)
- Focus on one idea at a time (p. 197)
- Be obsessed with your idea
- Your obsession helps drive your work toward completion
- Focus on your creative work and remove all distractions
- Create and finish – this is the full cycle
Be Cautious about Perfectionism
- Reminder – you are a collector of ideas
- Make use of everything (p. 201)
- Creativity is messy sometimes
- Watch out for perfectionism – can choke the life out of your innovations (p. 209)
- Beware of perfectionism (as a recovering perfectionist, I resonate with this axiom)
- Trust yourself to make mistakes and accept them as signs of doing the hard work (p. 213)
Practice with Intention
- Practice your craft (whatever your expression of creativity) with deliberate intention (p. 217)
- Methodology for deliberate practice (p. 223)
- Set a target
- Focus relentlessly on reaching your targets
- Time track yourself (e.g., the amount of time you write, the number of words per day)
- Troubleshoot, iterate, and repeat
Finish Your Work – Your Creativity Matters
- Your creative voice is needed (p. 236)
- We don’t know how many hours we have left
- Make use of the time you have
The world needs to hear your creative voice.
What innovation will you finish and share with others?
I welcome your comments.
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