brass tacks and the written word

Writing is one of the few areas of my life in which I have never lacked confidence. It is something I feel I am good at, and given the time, something I enjoy. That said, I have written very little over the last few years. My great skill (in my humble opinion) has lain dormant; hibernating through a blustery stretch of life in which creative opportunity felt all but squeezed out. Good reader, let me tell you why.

Time management, forward thinking, planning for the future are a constellation of practices that have alluded me most my life. So, although my heart’s desire has always focused on creating, my inability to schedule appropriately has consistently left me with little time and energy to do so. I have barely been able to produce the minimum requirements of my role – sermons, emails, outlines for future series. Sure I cranked them out, but often at the last minute and less than my best. Flying by the seat of one’s pants is definitely a valuable skill, but after a while take offs and landings get rather choppy, painful even. My habits have been hard on me.

Something changed for me this fall. I began to practice the discipline of looking ahead with more intention and resolve. And, low and behold, I discovered that simple exercises, like keeping a solid agenda, are  liberating. Creative energy begins to flow.

Here are some very practical disciplines I am engaging in 2012 to allow for more creativity – in my work, my writing and within my relationships with family and friends:

1. Protect my mornings for study, thinking, dreaming, writing
2. Boundary email and internet surfing.
3. Everything makes it to a calendar and a to do list – all events, meetings, tasks, responsibilities – personal and professional.
4. Allot time for these things and respect the times (+/- 5-10mins)

That’s some of what I have been doing and resolve to continue in this New Year. I already feel the potential packed in a day, a week, a year. This is how I hope to make my first blog post ever (about creativity, no less) a reality in 2012.

I’ll let you know if and when I develop concrete goals for getting some writing done… but this little piece is a start.

thanks for reading.

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