Avoid Hitting the Creative Wall with this Tip for Project Management.
The only thing harder than starting a creative project is finishing it once the finish line is in sight! That's why PACING is essential.
Have you ever experienced this?
You’ve made major progress through a challenging project, you’ve worked your butt off and racked up some serious hours getting things done, and now the end is in sight (hallelujah).
BUT, task burnout and a side order of scope creep have caused you to grind to a near halt.
Yup, hitting the wall is real. And we will all experience it - especially creatives. It’s what Steven Pressfield describes as resistance showing up, it will always rock up to crash the party and it “aims to kill” (to borrow from Pressfield book “The War of Art*”). You can’t avoid it, all you can do is ready yourself by having the wherewithal to spot it, as well as ensuring you’ve got enough left in the tank to push through it.
That’s why setting a steady project pace is everything when it comes to finishing a creative project. If you sprint ahead at the start of the race, by pulling a few all-nighters for example, your energy levels will deplete quickly and you’ll hit the wall hard with nothing left to withstand resistance.
So that got me thinking…
What does a steady project pace actually look like in real life?
Well, in the book Effortless by Greg McKeown*, he says when it comes to pace ”slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. Although that sentence sounds clever, it didn’t quite land for me at first, until I combined it with Steven Pressfield’s notion around “resistance”.
Because if we can make things smoooooth, we can remove resistance. Or to look at it from the other direction, resistance can cause friction that will slow us down, use up our energy and kill our creative endeavours.
Okay, so we need to make things smooth and steady to reduce the effect of resistance, but that still doesn’t quite get us to the how…
Enter The Vows.
One thing Greg McKeown recommends is setting a pace rate and vowing never to go above or below it. For example, he says you could vow to write 500 words per day. No more, no less.
However, this vow is great if you have a book deal and need to hand your manuscript in on a set date, but what if you’re a designer working on a creative project with many different tasks, or a content creator researching and writing your next Substack article or YouTube video?
Time for Task Tetris.
One thing I’ve found that works for me is using a daily planning insert to time block my tasks. This allows me to easily see the slice of day I have to work with. I can plot out my commitments, including my version for pace rate, and plan how I’ll fit everything in - like playing a game of task Tetris.
If you’re interested in the daily planner insert I use for time blocking I’ll leave a link below for you - it’s a printable download so you can instantly get your hands on it and get going.
As for my pace rate, I decided to utilise a time block for “deep work”. Mornings are the best for me, usually after my kiddos are off to school and the house is quiet again, although after supper can work, as well as first thing in the morning before everyone gets up. It really depends on what my energy levels are feeling like and my other commitments.
Next Actions:
What would setting a project pace look like for you? Is there a word count you could set, or daily time spent using a stopwatch to hold you accountable, or maybe it could be tasks completed per day with the help of time blocking?
Choose a pace definition that makes the most sense for you and your project and vow to stick to it, as best you can.
Trust that resistance will rock up, even with a steady pace, but you should hopefully have enough energy to spot it and defeat it.
And Finally…
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV
Additional Resources
Check out this article for tips on deep work and time blocking.
Organize your day with The Undated Daily - a printable A5 planner insert featuring a sleek schedule from 5am to 10pm, divided into 30 minute slots so time blocking your day is a breeze.
Read or listen to Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most* by Greg McKeown, for strategies to make it easier to focus, do the work and get the best return on your time invest.
Also read or listen to The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles* by Steven Pressfield, for a no BS take on the creative process.
* Please note: I found these [Audible] books through my own research, personally purchased and listened to them for my own use before writing this blog post, but as an Amazon Associate I earn from any qualifying purchases you may make after clicking these links.