When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly. (35)
There’s a pervasive myth of the genius creative person. Breakthrough inventions, great pieces of writings, and works of art seem to come out of thin air. Created by an inventor, writer, or artist that stumbled upon the right inspiration at the right time. Anyone who has done creative work for a long period of time, knows this isn’t the case. Manage Your Day-to-Day gathers a number of successful writers, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and others who make creative work into their career, to share the wisdom of becoming more productive, encouraging creativity, and making a living out of work they enjoy.
“The most successful creative minds consistently lay the ground work for ideas to germinate and evolve. They are always refining their personal approach to hijacking the brain’s neural pathways, developing a tool kit of tricks to spark the mind like flint on steel.” (184)
The book is written in easily digestible chunks of writing. Each author writes only a few pages, making this book great for people who like to read a little at a time. In fact, the book is likely more effective if read over a long period of time. Read in one straight shot, the advice starts to get a bit repetitive. Not as a mistake, but because managing time has a few very key points that most of the authors agree upon.
- Don’t wait for inspiration to start working
Do lots of work regularly, everyday if possible
Minimize email, social media, and other distractions
Be mindful of your time and activities
The editors carefully crafted the design of the book, interspersing relevant quotes and summarizing the main points of each author before moving onto another section. Physically small with a durable plastic cover, the book is perfect for traveling as well as sitting on a work desk or nightstand for inspiration.
“Truly great creative achievements require hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of work, and we have to make time every single day to put in those hours. Routines help us do this by setting expectations about availability, aligning our workflow with our energy levels, and getting our minds into a regular rhythm of creating.” (23)
“For a long time I wasn’t doing certain projects, but I thought I would love to do them if I had the time. Then, when I had the time, I avoided doing them because of all the other stuff that I still needed to do, like e-mail. And it’s just so much easier to do e-mail than to actually sit down and think.” (197)
The ultimate advantage of Manage Your Day-to-Day is the ease in which you can return to the advice. Feeling stuck? Read a few pages on jump-starting your work. Need inspiration? Browse a few of the quotes before getting down to work. An ease read that you can return to again and again, this book is well worth your time if you are working on any long term creative activities.
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind
Brian Sarnacki 