WolfyMaster

Finding Creativity Through Discipline

Introduction

Paul Sherer

Paul Sherer

#Entrepreneur, #Developer, #Businessman. Pouring everything I have into everything that I do. Meeting #opportunity at the door.


Life

Finding Creativity Through Discipline

Posted by Paul Sherer on .
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Life

Finding Creativity Through Discipline

Posted by Paul Sherer on .

"I haven't been as disciplined about it as I should." That's a phrase I've been using lately to dismiss any inquiries about any content I have made lately. Plainly, I've been using that statement as a write-off for not making time to do things like this. Well, this is a top-of-mind tale about my plan to solve this issue.

Lets step back to circa 2007-ish - my middle school years. Looking back through my primary and secondary school years I feel I was more creative and expressive than I am today. For example, I used to write a ton while these days I am struggling to get back into the grove of it. I feel I have lost a sense of structure - although I have not seen myself as someone who requires it, looking back that may be the one thing I am missing.

I've always been a fan of lists, but I had lists and notes placed all over. On tabletops, keyboards, on walls and tablets sprawled across my desk. I kept a weekly task list of all assignments and religiously marked them done once completed. And although I keep a few lists around today, I don't see them being as effective as they were growing up. Recently due to the global quarantine, I am finding myself overcome with boredom and a slight itch to do something, anything.

Which brings me here. I've been keeping a list of topics and I think I'm going to preschedule those topics across days I want to release content. Rather than making a note to 'write something', I will note the exact prompt. It makes for much less cognitive exercise. As I say, it's gotta be easy or I'll never do it.

So this is the new plan. Schedule all the topics, try and write them in advance, and get ahead of the release schedule. As long as I keep adding one or two topics to the list per week, I should keep a steady flow of content. This is creativity through discipline. Forcing structure to make creating easier.

As an aside, it is fascinating to me that I can write general topics in my notes and months later I can recall exactly what I meant. This is fascinating because I can imagine a time when one prompt may have been motivated by a certain event when noted but takes on an entirely different context when I finally get around to penning a story. The context not changing is as fascinating to me as the opportunity for it to change.

This is not sponsored but I do want to share a little about Notion.so, the software I have been using for a while now as my central dumping ground for everything from topic ideas to managing projects to keeping notes to budgeting finances. It's a mashup of OneNote and Asana and Excel, calendars, and more. It has become a daily driver for me because it effortlessly syncs between my desktop and mobile so I can access and create items anywhere, anytime. Content is also available offline on mobile devices so I can access my notes even with a spotty connection. Finally, you can create workspaces and invite collaborators, so I can share data in real-time with folks I am working with. Check it out at Notion.so.

Paul Sherer

Paul Sherer

https://www.wolfymaster.com

#Entrepreneur, #Developer, #Businessman. Pouring everything I have into everything that I do. Meeting #opportunity at the door.