In preparation for the Tiny Sabbatical Project, I have a small challenge for you today! A Tiny, Tiny Sabbatical if you will!
Inspiration
Listen to this brief podcast from NPR’s Life Kit (21 min) about getting out of a creative rut. (Read the transcript here.) TL;DR (too long, didn’t read) version: Everyone is creative; productivity and creativity are BOOSTED by rest and nothingness.
This episode came out after Sarah and I curated the content for the first offering of the Tiny Sabbatical Project – a small course on getting back into creativity during a time when most people are simply in survival mode. It affirms so much of what we have learned through our experience coaching clients these days – and the reason we created the TSP. January is hard. Pandemics are impossibly hard. Pressure to be super-productive is real. Energy is waning. Content coming at you from all directions is overwhelming.
And it is making us miserable.
Tiny Action
Find time this week to stare at the wall. Eat in silence. Drive or cook or shower or fold laundry with no radio, podcasts or phone calls. Twiddle your thumbs. Resist getting out the Wordle archives (I’m preaching to myself here!)
Let your brain wander. Give it some air. Let all the content rest.
And see what happens! Notice, pay attention. What shifts?
This week, I am going to encourage my creative side to flourish by committing to quiet car rides (when I can get them). Anytime I’m in a car alone, I’m going to stay in silence. No catching up on podcasts or phone calls, no making voice memos to myself about the stuff I need to do, no reveling in the nostalgia of 90s on 9. Just quiet.
What will you try for your Tiny, Tiny Sabbatical?
If you have a moment, shoot me a line to tell me what you’ll try or let me know if you have any questions about the TSP. I do hope you’ll join us!