Working When Inspiration Strikes
photo credit: Darren Hester
Inspiration can’t be scheduled, as anyone who’s ever had come up with an on-the-spot presentation knows. In fact, the best inspiration seems to come at the worst times, whether it’s the awesome new blog topic that pops up in spin class or the new management technique that comes to you while you’re knee-deep in paying bills. One of the worst things you can do is stifle that creativity and attempt to schedule it into neat half-hour blocks. Just as bad is letting your creative juices flow and letting your other daily tasks fall by the wayside. (Eventually, they always catch up to you!) The real answer is to learn to work when you’re inspired without neglecting the rest of your life. Fortunately, there are a few simple organizational steps you can take to help you make the most of your creative energy when the urge strikes.
1. Get down as many concrete details as possible–in writing. Ideas are never so beautiful as when they’re fresh. Don’t let that great idea, slogan, or project get lost in the daily shuffle! When inspiration strikes, pull out pen and paper or open a fresh document on your computer and get your thoughts down right away. From the smallest details to any overarching strategies that come to mind, flesh out your idea as much as possible NOW. If you wait until later, many of the smaller details–as well as your immediate passion–might fade.
Hint: Carry around a notepad or a personal recording device to help you get your ideas recorded as soon as they’re hot, rather than when they’re lukewarm.
2. Split your to-do list in two. Make one column full of “Gotta Do Today” items and populate the other side with tasks that are important but not urgent. When inspiration strikes, you’ll know exactly what tasks can safely be delayed. When your creative burst is spent, use the rest of your time to make sure that the items on the “Today” side are completed. This method helps you work spontaneously and guilt-free, and you’ll never get behind on regularly scheduled tasks either.
Hint: Create a new list for each day or week. Taking five minutes to start your day or week with clear priorities will make you more focused and keep your list up-to-date.
3. Learn to brainstorm effectively. A lot of creative thoughts are wasted because the kernel of an incredible idea gets lost in the details. After all, what may seem clear in the moment might appear to be simple ranting a few weeks later. Avoid this pitfall by taking notes with categories, headlines, or bulleted lists. Instead of writing, “Article on dog food, talk to Sue, library, coat health, teeth problems, new research, depend on breed?” your list might read: “Idea: article on quality of dog food. Topics: Coat health, teeth problems. Potential sources: Sue, library. Questions: Do different dog breeds digest food or nutrients in different ways? Action point: Look for new research on the topic to provide a timely angle.” An effective brainstorm takes virtually no more time or energy, and makes it easier to dive into your project quickly when you’re ready to pursue it further.
4. Create tangible measures and deliverables for your ideas. There’s no point in generating brilliant ideas or innovations if they’re going to end up in a generic “Ideas” folder that never sees the light of day. Make yourself accountable to your inspirations by choosing a few key deliverables or follow-up points. These can range from finding a market for your idea to researching a question that came up during the thought process. Whether you add these deliverables to your online calendar or put them on index cards with a due date, give your ideas a fighting chance by breaking them into specific actions.
5. Give yourself fair market value for time spent on future-oriented projects. The benefit of working when inspiration strikes is that your best work often comes out of these sessions. Whether you’re an accountant or a marketer, working on a task that you’re excited about often gives you the highest rates of productivity and success. So if you’ve been inspired and spend a few hours creating the flyer for next season’s event, reward yourself with a break. The hours you just put in are a fair exchange for the hours you would have put into the project later, so don’t feel like you have to knock out every goal you came in with earlier. Let your time be flexible and you’ll find that you spend most hours working on projects you love.
June 7th, 2008 at 11:51 am
This is an excellent article.
you write, “Hint: Carry around a notepad or a personal recording device to help you get your ideas recorded as soon as they’re hot, rather than when they’re lukewarm.”
Oh so true. I rather leave the house naked than leave the house without my notepad and pen! The inspiration for a new idea will strike when it wants; it has a mind of its own, and often likes to frustrate you. The only antidote, is a pen and paper.
I’ve even had instances where I’ve had to call my phone and leave a message on my answering machine, as I wasn’t willing to let a good spark of inspiration disappear into the dreaded *ether*.
The only thing I haven’t mastered, so to speak, is I don’t always sit and write when I’m inspired. But I always do write ample notes when an idea pops into my head so that I can do serious writing at a later time.
June 7th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I like the approach you suggest here because it creates a balance: you don’t have to constantly interrupt what you’re doing to go do something else every time you get an new idea, but at the same time you get enough information down on paper so that you can make sense of it later.
June 7th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
i get much of my inspiration/ideas at night, usually when i am in bed and the stillness of night has enveloped me. with no tv nor radio in my bedroom, i only have myself to my thoughts (and hubby). and, i have found, that unless i write it down or get up and type in whatever thought i have, it is gone by morning. actually, i am not the type that can sit down at a computer and begin writing…something within me has to have germinated and the words to it follow freely before i put pen to paper or finger to key. it is mostly how i get all of my pieces written…mulling it, thinking about it….and, yes, we should always note it down.
this was a good piece and good advice.
June 8th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Your “1.Hint..” is my favorite…
When i am chewing an idea and i do not have computer (preferable) or just piece of paper handy to take a note - I PANIC!
PS. Loved your clean graphic design - my eyes loved reading the post and they’d like to thank you for that.
June 8th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
You are an inspiration to me! I am going through a transition now so everything seems new, and I sometimes feel like I am unable to communicate clearly what I mean, or accurately do what I know how to do! So I am particularly drawn to numbers 1 and 2 on your list.
What’s life without transitions?
Harmony,
Janet
June 9th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Hi Sara,
I seem to come up with ideas for blog posts when I’m in the shower. I keep thinking I should just keep a dry erase pen in there and write my ideas on the wall of the shower.
And like Rebecca, I get ideas just as I’m getting all cozy in bed. Many times I’ve gotten up and typed up my ideas. If I don’t, they are gone.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I can empathize with getting ideas in the middle of the night. I don’t want to know how many great ideas I’ve had that I didn’t write down and subsequently forgot.
And I kind of like the idea of shower doodling. It sounds like a great way to spark some creativity!