Vary Your Creative Workouts

WRITE. EVERY. DAY. NO EXCUSES!!!

This all-caps mantra was one I believed in and sought to execute for many years. After all, it was a core tenant of The War of Art, one of my all-time favorite and most inspiring books on creativity, and I know plenty of writers for whom it’s worked brilliantly.

But it didn’t work for me. The “no compromises, no excuses” approach created an insane amount of pressure. If I missed a day, I would feel really bad about myself and wouldn't write for weeks. While consistency is important to maintaining creative muscle, I would argue that variety is equally important. 

Imagine going to the gym seven days in a row and only working out your legs. Not only would you be neglecting your other muscles, but your legs would likely be so tired you could barely walk. Just like it’s best to exercise different muscles, I believe it can be beneficial to vary your creative workouts. Maybe one day you write, the next you paint, edit a video, work on a professional website, or anything that gets your creative juices flowing.

If writing every day works for you, fantastic. Devotion to a routine is admirable. But if that devotion becomes an anxiety-producing inflexibility, then it might be time to make a change.