Protecting time to be curious and creative

Today my calendar is blocked out as my Play Day. A monthly day dedicated to clearing my plate to be curious, creative and playful - without strategy or expectations.

Like everyone else, this year I’ve been working hard to balance work, mind, body and pandemic. I’ve been constantly doing rather than being.

Balancing lockdown life, part-time work and freelance work has felt like preparing plates of beans on toast and wishing I had the time to create something incredible. I’ve realised that if I don’t stop and take the time to be curious, creative and playful, how can I cook up a storm?

Protecting the time I need to do what inspires me

This morning I had my quarterly catch-up with my business coach Gail Gibson. Gail has been an integral part of my journey since going freelance in September 2019. She is someone I can share my challenges, successes and vulnerabilities with, giving me the confidence to make decisions that enable me to reach my full potential. Every decision I make on (or after) our call, leads to action. 

I explained to Gail that my two biggest challenges right now are protecting my time and finding the creativity to write my own content. Gail asked me “When do you work at your best and how can you protect that time”, and “what would happen if you dedicated some of your best time to being curious and creative, in a fun location, and without setting yourself a strategy?” 

Yikes! As a Communications Manager who loves strategy, I hadn’t considered letting myself playfully write without a clear purpose in mind, or sitting somewhere other than in my home office. I’d also forgotten that back in the office days, I would arrive bright and early before anyone else, to maximise my early morning productivity. Gail said: “why don’t you give yourself a play day?” I began to smile, imaging myself sitting downstairs with a coffee, looking out the window and writing this very blog post.

Play Day Prescription

Carving out my Play Day has given me the time to put away the plates and open up my recipe book. I’ve set aside the best time to let my thoughts flow freely so that I can express myself creatively. It’s my time to write about my feelings and experiences because I love to write and I love to share.

I have promised myself there are no expectations from today, but by dedicating time to be curious, creative and playful, I’m bound to discover an incredible recipe that I can share with my clients.

Are you carving out your best time?

For anyone else who has been struggling to make time to do what you love, struggling to find the motivation to take action, or feeling lost on how to get started - why not indulge in a little curiosity and creativity by giving yourself a Play Day? Who knows what kind of storm you could cook up!

And as Gail said to me today, remember the sun usually shines after a storm.