Any writer knows the struggle of opening your same three projects and rotating between them as if words will magically appear on them while you stare blankly at that novel you started a year ago. Oh muse, you work in really shitty ways. This is how I have learned (the hard way) that waiting on the muse is the worst possible thing to do. In my Short Fiction Writing course, my professor told us to just write, don’t wait on inspiration.

This is way easier said than done. I have the same drive and attention span as Michael Scott. I can’t even take a shower unless I feel like it. Overtime, I have had to learn how to get myself to get my work done, whether it’s creative, homework, or job related. Here are a few of my hacks for those of us who somehow think that watching soap cutting videos while your Pilot is open gets it done:

1. Notice Little Things: In Thornton Wilder’s play, “Our Town”, Emily Webb dies and takes a look at her life from her grave. It’s only then that she realizes she never really appreciated the small things that made life so incredible. She asks the Stage Manager (the narrator of the play) if people ever really “realize life”, to which he responds, “the saint and the poets, they do some”. While this provides a bleak Third Act, it makes it chillingly clear that life is really what we make of it. I’ve found in my attempts to stay creative that paying attention to small things–the way steam curls around your finger if you move it around over a mug of coffee, the clicking of keys on your laptop, your friends’ different types of laughter and when they occur–has kept me vigilant. Realizing life makes it easier to realize what makes life interesting.
2. Incentives: While maybe one of my unhealthier approaches, I have found that bribing myself gets the job done. For example, to write this post I told myself I’d get myself a muffin (or “breakfast cupcake” as I prefer to call them). Movies and TV shows also work, but they’re a little riskier–we all know the dangers of “just one more episode”. At any rate, I recommend something to keep you working as an incentive rather than something that forces you to stop working. Like a breakfast cupcake; I can eat little bits of my muffin while I work, as opposed to stopping my work to watch an episode of Penny Dreadful (which is really good, its basically gothic Downton Abbey, 10/10 recommend). Incentives seem simple because they are, but psychologically, reward systems work well in keeping you consistent in your work. To learn more about the science behind operant conditioning, check out this quick article on Verywell Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-incentive-theory-of-motivation-2795382
3. Timing is Everything. A lot of times I make working more manageable by setting time limits for myself. For me, large time chunks are better than smaller ones. I’m not that “Pomodoro Method” bitch. I try to find chunks of at least three hours at a time. Before dinner, in between classes (if I’m lucky), early in the morning, and before bed are the best times I’ve found.
4. Remember What Made You Excited In the First Place: A lot of times when I’m working on a project, I get so caught up in the deadline of it that I forget what drew me to it in the first place. Reminding myself of the characters, jokes, ideas, and concepts is a way I get myself back in the zone.
5. Any Work is Better than No Work: Regardless of what comes of it, you get something out of your work every time you pick it up. Even if it doesn’t feel or look like it, writing makes you smarter, more creative, and more determined whenever you come back to it. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain from your work.

Hope these might be helpful to you! Comment what you do to keep creative bellow!