Sometimes it’s hard to know when to let go… of a creative endeavor, a personal goal, or a work project that requires effort and commitment. It’s not always clear when to quit it or when to stick with it. It’s not easy to choose between hitting pause (to get back to it later) and stopping (to perhaps never get back to it).
I have random questions come up when I’m at such a crossroad. How do I sort through what matters most? Does the dream of completing a particular project serve me or is it toxic to hold on to it? When is it more critical to rest and reflect, than to work harder and hustle more?
In 2019, I took a long hiatus from blogging on personal productivity. This took a back seat to running my thriving law practice, writing commentaries on U.S. immigration topics, and coaching lawyers on legal ethics and wellness issues, as well as cultivating better sleep habits, connecting with friends, and spending quality time with my family (which now includes two very young kids, a 1st grader and a toddler).
It was not until last month that I finally got around to publishing articles again on dyanwilliams.com. Besides this one, there are two more: Staying Solo Successfully and When to quit (or stick).
When I launched the blog in July 2012, I wrote and published a lot more regularly, sometimes up to four articles per month. Back then, I was not a parent, I did not have a solo law practice, and I had way fewer responsibilities. Those were the days when I practiced yoga for an hour and savored tea in the morning. Now I’m lucky if I get 15 minutes of yoga time before my kids wake up and a quick gulp of tea before we start the day as a family.
Currently, I run three blogs. The Legal Immigrant is a lead generator that significantly establishes my authority, attracts ideal clients and ranks high on search engine results for U.S. immigration solutions. The Ethical Lawyer is convenient for housing articles that accompany presentations and talks I do on legal ethics and wellness issues for lawyers, which is a secondary practice.
The personal productivity blog is the one I hit pause on the longest because it’s more of a creative endeavor. And like most unnecessary creating projects, it often gets overlooked while I’m dealing with daily necessaries and things that pay and have target completion dates or strict deadlines.
Over the last couple years, I’ve thought about shutting down the blog. Or just forget about updating it with fresh content. But around this time of the year (fall season or the fourth quarter), I begin to really miss writing for the blog. Then I’ll put out a few articles and say to myself that I’ll be more consistent next year.
Unless I commit to a regular blogging schedule or somehow monetize the blog, there is unlikely to be weekly or even monthly publishing. I do, however, expect to keep posting articles here as long I have something helpful to say to subscribers and readers and I enjoy sharing my thoughts, ideas and observations through blog posts. Truth be told, I find this more fun and rewarding than binge watching Netflix shows.
In his first book, The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice, Todd Henry discusses the value and importance of Unnecessary Creating. He writes:
“It’s tempting to resist this technique because we think it will add stress to our lives – yet another thing we have to cram into our schedule. But the experience of those who incorporate this practice is quite different. They find that it actually clarifies their thoughts, makes them more efficient, and reintroduces a level of passion for their on-demand creating. In addition, our Unnecessary Creating is often the best source of new insights for our on-demand creative work.”
As I write this article, I’m getting close to celebrating Thanksgiving Day and will soon begin planning for 2020 (the start of a new decade!). While there are work projects left undone and personal goals still unmet, I appreciate the deliberate choices I did make and the meaningful work I did complete.
There are limits on your time, energy and attention. From a survival standpoint, it makes sense to prioritize the time-sensitive projects that pay the bills. But to truly flourish and thrive – after basic needs are met – there has to be some unnecessary creating. Otherwise, you risk facing unbearable boredom or complete burnout.
You might not have a full hour every week to engage with your creative endeavor. But you can always carve out at least 15 minutes a day to get small doses or to make tiny progress. Or start with one minute and see where that leads. And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make time for it right away. You’ll eventually experience creative stagnation and will act on that not-going-away awesome idea, one way or the other.
When unnecessary creating draws you away from daily necessaries and serious projects, you put it in sleep mode rather than shut it down. You can hit pause for the time being instead of stop it altogether. Just get back to it, even if it’s only once or twice a year when you could really use a creative boost.
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Photo by: adonyig
