Finding Balance in Your life ... and also make room for Creativity Blog

In the fast-paced, highly-pressured technological age that is constantly slashing attention It can be difficult to make time on creative endeavors, particularly personal projects. If you're feeling depleted out of your creative juices towards the end of the day, or like you don't have enough time to consider starting something new there's no reason to be alone.

"I often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to get done. There is work to be done for clients, and then work on my own animation apps which I created but most important of all have a daughter to take care of," says Michal Finegold who is a computer-animated professional as well as software developer. "On top of that my inbox is constantly blowing up, social media is always trying to get my attention, and I'm constantly messaging and calling. It can be insane."

Finegold's experience isn't isolated, and we'd wager that many other artists feel like they're being pulled in a million different directions. In spite of the daily stress, it's still possible to carve out time to lead the most balanced, thoughtful and creative lifestyle; a way that allows you to pursue your passions but still keep all the other things taken care of and also. In order to help you achieve that, we asked Finegold, along with three other people who are creative for their tips on how they've managed to achieve a healthy balance.

Create and Stick to a morning routine

Kathryn Bethard, a UX and web developer based in Delaware She says she is often overwhelmed by life as now, more than ever. For her, finding equilibrium is much easier by beginning her day with mindful intention.

"Personally I've discovered that one way I can stay calm is by adhering to a regular morning routine," she says. "Each morning, I begin my day with a relaxing blend of coffee, gratitude journaling and mindfulness. It has a wonderful positive effect on my mornings and keeps me in a good mindset regardless of what my day brings."

Create a plan for your Day/Week

"Block scheduling my work is one method that has proven pretty effective for me. It helps me stay focus and helps me be more productive," she says. "For for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are devoted to the work of clients. Tuesday is for my personal business marketing and branding as well as Thursdays for client meetings. Friday is devoted to wrapping up anything not completed throughout the week."

By having more structure in your work schedule, you'll be more likely to get more accomplished and will have more time do as you please. Scheduling time to work on your own creative projects helps ensure you have time to "do your thing," too.

Remove Dings and Distractions

Getting going throughout the day can be difficult enough, but add the constant stream of notifications from social media, text messages, as well as other interruptions, you'll notice that stopping or beginning projects may mentally drain your brain. Eliminating the noise -- literally and figuratively -- has helped Finegold to find more peace throughout the entire day.

"I switch off the notifications on my mobile and all other devices with the exception of phone calls. I'm not able to receive or see any notifications when there's an email message, Facebook messages, Twitter reply, Whatsapp message -- nothing. Text messages show up, but are silent," she claims. "I am unable to handle the stuff constantly pulling my attention from my phone. Instead, I look at these things when they are logical for me, and when I am eager to learn more."

This doesn't mean that you must avoid social media or texting throughout your whole day. Instead, it's about consciously dedicating the time you have to them rather than letting them distract you all day long.

Make sure your services are aligned with your Passions

It's our challenge to you to take a look at your current task list and consider what inspires you and what slows your down. Some tasks might be a "necessary evil" (like making invoices and catching up on the emails) however, you should determine if it's possible to adjust your offerings to be more at blending with your passions for creativity. It's precisely what Sabina Fenn an illustrator for commercial work, did.

"As artists, I discovered that] being an illustrator for commercial clients was particularly difficult when I needed the freedom of painting things that inspired me when I was at that time," she says. "Recently I altered my approach to illustration, which was solely digital and began painting using gouache and watercolor paints. Doing that has allowed me to feel the connection with my work once more and has me excited for every project that comes my through my."

Instead of including a service like Fenn, maybe you may think about eliminating things you are absolutely terrified of. It's exactly the way Bethard recently did.

"A few weeks ago it came to my attention that spending time on work I didn't enjoy was completely ludicrous. That's why I have stopped providing writing services. By focusing on design only is allowing me to think more freely and enjoy all of my work instead of just the half. This has been among the most beneficial things I've done for my business," she says. "To anybody working in the field of creativity] I'd recommend you to focus on what you really love. While you might think that having a certain skill will help earn money however, do you really need the effort if you hate the work?"

Set and Follow Clear Work Boundaries

"I've observed that, as a freelancer who works from home, developing clearly defined boundaries between work and life is essential. When I save my evenings for myself, I can start the next day well rested and full of motivation," says Bethard. Employees of companies can get caught up in their work earlier in the day than what's mentally healthy.

Creating a clear end time -- and mentally checking out of the office allows you to be flexible in planning your schedule for your evenings. That means you can carve out more meaningful time to hit the gym and work on a personal task, or gather in touch with friends. All of these are practices that have been proven to boost your enjoyment of life, increase your energy, and can directly affect your creative output which can make you more productive over the long run.