How To Put Your Creativity First Time After Time

Here's the thing about laundry, dusting and the need to put food on the table ~ there will never come a day when you say with a sigh of relief ~"I'm finished! No more dirty clothes! No more dust! No more need to eat!"My point being if you put off your creative endeavors until you're completely caught up with your obligations at home, work and beyond you may be waiting a long, long time to enjoy them. (like forever)What if you try this crazy...shocking...almost unthinkable plan instead?Let Your Creativity Come First.That's right. You heard me.Let the dishes soak in the sink a little longer. Let your laundry pile grow an inch or two taller.Let your e-mails sitting in your in-box wait a bit while longer. They will all be waiting patiently for you when you finish enjoying some creative "me"time, I promise.What if, as an experiment, you try this step-by-step plan to practice letting your creativity come first?

1. Set a timer for 15-minutes.
2. Use this brief amount of time to enjoy a simple creative experience you've been putting off until the day your to-do list magically evaporates. (For example: you might enjoy coloring, reading, scrapbooking, knitting, writing, or playing piano.)
3. When your timer goes off after 15 minutes, then tackle the dishes, laundry or e-mails.

Rinse and repeat. (pun kind of intended)The truth is you always somehow find time to do the stuff that absolutely must be done, right?Why not use that to your advantage by linking it up with the creative experiences you crave and enjoy them first?The women I work with have experienced delightful success using this simple method. It takes practice, but once you've enjoyed the fun feeling of a few Creative Oasis Moments it gets easier and easier to put your creative outlets first.Even if you only do this two or three times a week, if that's more than you're doing now that's a wonderful step in the right direction!I'm willing to bet you'll be amazed by how good it feels to give yourself permission to show yourself a little creative love here and there throughout the week.The past few months I've been practicing what I preach more than ever, being very intentional about showing myself creative self-care using Creative Oasis Moments throughout my week and I have to say it feels fabulous! I feel less stress, more joy and though my to-do list of obligations hasn't changed one iota, the time I'm spending enjoying my personal creative outlets has increased ten fold.Of course, having the continued support of a group of kindred creative spirits helps a lot!Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,Jill