Structure — it’s the thing many people, especially creative beings, resist. And yet it’s so important in focusing our efforts. Today I used a lot of structure to cruise through 12 months of bookkeeping for my business. Amazing!
Here’s what I did:
1. I removed all distractions
like email, TV, Facebook and even asked for the support of my family to allow me this time to focus in my home office.
2. I set up little systems
that I applied to each month in my fiscal year and got more efficient as I moved from month to month.
3. I took mini breaks
to keep myself fresh and inspired, including a great work-out.
4. I listened to music or sang
to myself the whole way through. (Music is fuel…)
How freeing and spacious it felt to complete these books in record time. In past years, it’s taken days, if not weeks, to complete.
Structure liberates the creative artist.
It’s counterintuitive, but true. Too much structure can stifle, but not enough structure has us creating without direction or intention. We swim in great ideas, half-completed projects and multi-tasking that doesn’t have us doing our best at any one thing. We waste our creative energy on managing competing objectives, versus directing it toward something really juicy.
This is a powerful lesson to master — finding the perfect blend of structure and flow. Like roots of a tree, our structure serves to ground us, yet still allows us to reach tall and wide, and bend with the wind. Then we can then feel safe to trust our inner guidance and follow the flow of inspiration in the moment. That’s when magic occurs.
How about you? What was your win today? What forms of structure work for you? Where could you use more?
With love,
Paula
P.S. Thanks for all the great feedback regarding this journey and my blog. Your personal messages of encouragement fuel something deep inside. ♥
Good job! That’s fantastic!
I’m planning to finish up my book-keeping tonight as well. Or catch up, anyway, so that when year-end rolls around I’m not scrambling. Again. Electronic decluttering will be tonight as well, as my inbox is in horrific shape.
Thanks Debbie. It feels GREAT! Yes, I’ve been downsizing my inbox too and unsubscribing to things that once spoke to me but currently don’t. My thought is I can always resubscribe, but there was too much in my inbox that I wasn’t reading. Happy Monday to you!
Round Two of this Journey: Today I was putting clothes into Hanna’s drawer (actually more like trying to shove them in) when I stopped myself and thought, this is ridiculous. Empty this drawer. So I did. I removed probably a third of it that didn’t fit or she didn’t wear and placed them in a black bag I have in my closet for goodwill. Now I can actually fit her clean clothes in and close the drawer! YAY!