I sometimes get emails or hear comments from writers who have so much to do that fitting in time to write is a challenge. I do believe that if you really want to find that time, you will. However, it's also important not to turn something that should be a joy into a chore. Here's what branding/ad guru Simon Mainwaring said about that in a recent interview with How design magazine:
"No matter how we approach creative work, it should be fun. The arts are an enormous playroom where we get to behave like children, never looking for answers where we are told to, but instead heading off in unknown directions. The joy comes in the surprise of finding what we didn't know was there. There is great power in approaching life this way, leaving us free to discover the answers only creativity can find and, in so doing, revealing our shared humanity."
If doing creative work is only adding to your stress, that's a sign something needs to change. Maybe you need a bit of time off, maybe you need to take another look at some things to purge from your schedule, maybe it's time to delegate or outsource, or maybe it's time to consider a different creative outlet.
(For help in focusing your efforts and leaving time for what's really important, see my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)
