(Nimue)
I had a request from lovely Halo Quin to talk about how I manage a consistent output. I have a lot of creative projects on the go and I am able to keep up a fairly steady output across a lot of projects and I've been doing that for years.
Some of it is that I'm obsessive, and I pour that into my creative life where it won't inconvenience anyone else. Some of it is that I have a considerable concentration span and a fast brain which means I can get a lot done in a focused way most days. Everything else is strategy.
I plan. I know what I absolutely have to get done in any given week, and I have a plan for each working day. I put daily lists in my diary and check them off as I go. I set myself targets on projects although I try to be gentle with myself because if I'm over-ambitious, I court burnout. I aim for a thousand words a day on creative projects (I don't usually work weekends on these) plus blogs and whatever practical writing I have to do.
I use the multiple projects to procrastinate. If I'm struggling with one project I will switch over to another. I usually have some arts and craft on the go so that I can lean into that if the words aren't flowing. I use practical things - laundry, washing up, cooking and so forth as brain breaks from the more thinky work. Being able to break up my working day in this way really helps and is one of the distinct pluses of working from home.
I try to avoid deadlines, and I try to give myself as much room as I can where deadlines are unavoidable so that I don't get stressed or feel that I have to finish any given thing when I'm not enjoying it.
Accountability really helps me - I write blog content regularly because I know people are reading it. I use Patreon as a place for developing new projects because again there's an audience waiting for me to deliver. It helps me a lot to know where something is going and what it's for.
It doesn't always work. I've had projects falter, I've fallen off things. Not everything gets finished. It's easier to not have that be obvious because I have a lot going on and can point at whatever's working. It's really important to have the scope to put down things that don't work and not to get overwhelmed when a project isn't moving. Again I find the multi-project approach helps me with this. If something goes horribly wrong, I can invest in something that's working and I don't take much of a morale blow as a consequence.
I have some really good support people. This means if I get stuck with something, there are friends I can ask to take a look at it for me, or to throw me curve-ball ideas. This has saved my arse on numerous occasions. Creating consistently is a lot easier with team-mates, I have found. Having people to check in with about how I'm doing is nice, too. Being a lone creator can be lonely and it's easy to lose sight of why you're even trying. Being part of a community and engaging with other creators can really help around staying motivated and being reminded of why you're doing it in the first place.
The times I've been least creative have been the times when I could not see any point in what I was doing. What holds me are my relationships with people who are into my stuff. If I know who I'm creating for and why, then that makes it a lot easier to do what I do.
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