Good morning. I thought today I would start out our morning video talking about one of the first things that I do after I have my cup of coffee in the morning, or while I'm drinking it. And that is I usually sit down and I make a list. I have this fun little book or sometimes just a piece of paper In it I have a list of all the things that I'm going do for the day. I start writing it all down. I think it's so important to take time in the morning to get your to-do list off your mind. It has really helped me in my pursuit to be a more creative person because when I do that, I free my mind from all of those tasks that I have to get done because once they're written down, I can say, "Okay, I'm not going forget what I need to do," and then I am able to take a few minutes to tell myself, "Okay, I'm just going to let my mind be free."
If you're bogged down by your to-do list, or your grocery list, or all the things that you feel like you've got to accomplish during the day, I feel like it really limits your creativity. So, I'm hoping that this morning video will inspire you to think about or continue if you already do make your morning list. The other thing is, don't just stop there. When you make your list in the morning, it helps to, at least for me, to check things off. You will notice in my older lists, I have little boxes that are filled in. I usually draw a little box next to whatever the task is and then mark it off as I achieve things. It feels really good at the end of the day to see how much you actually achieved, especially when you're a creative person and you're still trying to get in the momentum of being creative; it makes you feel like you accomplished a lot of things during the day and it reminds you to keep moving forward. I think that is really important.
The other thing about writing things down as studies have shown that if you write your goals down, you are more likely to achieve them. Even if it's simple little goals like, doing your laundry, or maybe you need to send a bunch of emails for the day, or maybe you need to do your morning meditation or exercise. I like this because it is just a way to remind yourself that yes, you do have a lot of things on your list, but you accomplish a lot more than you realize during the day.
"I have mixed feelings when I hear this," but most people say to me, "How do you do all the things that you do?" Or "Is there anything that you can't do?" Or, "Do you even sleep?" The answer to the last one is, "Yes, I require 8 hours of sleep every night."
Part of the reason why I'm able to accomplish the things that I do is because I'm very organized, in that, I know that I have a brain that is all over the place. I'm constantly thinking of lots of different ideas and I know that I need to be focused. So in order for me to stay focused and organized I have to lay out what I need to accomplish for the day. And sometimes I'll just jotting things down, and then I'll even go along the side after I do that and put them in order of what needs to be done first. There will be days where you don't accomplish everything on your list. Some days I might have 10 things on my list and only accomplish four of them. But what I do is carry it over or I don't mark off my little box and then I go back and mark those things off. That way I don't forget about those really important things that I need to take care of.
There is nothing that you could put on your daily list, that is ridiculous, I guess. You could even write, "Finish this list." But it is really helpful and feels good to accomplish so much. Part of the reason why I like this book is because I've been working in this book since August. When I get to the end of the year, it feels really good to look back and go, "Wow, look at all this stuff that I did." You can see your progression, your growth. Some people will do a morning meditation. I do things like that as well, but this is solely for getting those tasks off your list so your linear brain can relax a bit, and then it can allow you to be more open. Hopefully that would be a helpful hint for you. I know it has really helped me in my own creative life.
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Ellie McIntoshEllie McIntosh, grew up as a creative thinker. Inspired by her father, a furniture designer an inventor and musician, she took the path to creativity. Her artistic journey has taken her as far as France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Spain, Germany, Morocco, and many places throughout the United States and Mexico, where she utilized various Archives
February 2021
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