Do you make time for creativity?

Or do other priorities rise up shouting for your time and attention when you plan to write, paint, sculpt, or explore your craft? Do you struggle to capture time for creativity? Perhaps family members want to talk or need help with something, friends call, or chores you’ve left too long start haunting you. Do you feel a niggling sense of guilt for spending time on yourself—making time for creativity—when there are so many other things to attend to?

How can you put these hinderances behind you?

7 Ways to Capture Time for Creativity

1. Respect your own personal need for creative time.

We must first learn to give ourselves permission to claim time for creativity. Understanding that for a creative person, having time set aside to express this side of ourselves is not an indulgence but an absolute necessity. The time challenges in our busy world are real but not insurmountable.

The first hurdle is to realize the importance of creative time to our emotional and mental wellbeing. Once we believe this for ourselves, it becomes easier to claim the time and set boundaries around it.

2. Mark your creative time, in ink, on the family calendar.

Build this time into your routine. Think of it as an appointment or a job. Block out several regular hours a week. Be firm with yourself and others about the importance of these appointments.

Many people, especially folks who aren’t particularly creative themselves, think that what you do creatively is simply for fun or a diversion and should take second place to how they would like you to spend your time—with them.

I find this particularly true with writing. I’ve finally learned to scheduled my writing time as though it is a job. It’s a funny thing in our culture, often our time is not valued unless it is accompanied by a pay check.

Set aside time for your art and keep it. Tell others you have an appointment, it isn’t necessary to tell them what the appointment is for.

The only way to get others to respect your time, is to first respect it yourself.

3. Avoid the black-hole time-vacuum of technology. Turn off your phone and stay away from social media during your designated creative time.

It is tempting to catch up on emails and social media the minute you have a little time to yourself. DON’T DO IT! Set aside time later (with a timer) to attend to your inbox, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, etc. Don’t steal minutes away from your creative time. Once you open Facebook or Pinterest you’ve lost a precious half-hour at the very least!

4. Turn off the TV.

Everyone likes to veg-out and watch a good TV show once in a while but a constant stream of non-interactive entertainment can dull your creative edge. Try taking one of every two hours of television time and use it to make something new.

5. Privacy

Close the door or find a way to screen yourself off from others. A designated creative space is crucial. Let others in your house know you don’t want to be disturbed. It helps to give them a time frame. “Do not disturb until 3:00pm.” Another option is using pockets of time when others in your house are sleeping, doing homework, or watching TV.

6. Take a personal creative retreat.

Of course, you may want to go on an art-oriented vacation but when that isn’t feasible, you can still set aside a day for a creative retreat. Some art communities offer opportunities to have a retreat day with other local artists. However, if you can’t find one, you can always create one for yourself.

Set a special day, include time to walk or do yoga and eat delicious, favorite foods. Have a quiet time for reflection and dreaming. Learn a new art form or try a new technique. Give yourself several hours to immerse yourself in your craft. Take a nap.

7. If you can’t beat them, have them join you.

Teach the people who share your life about your art. Share and afternoon of creative time with them and help them understand what you are doing and all that it involves. It may be easier for them to realize why you need time to yourself in the future.

No matter which steps you take, maybe even all of them, setting aside designated creative time will feed your soul and enhance your art.