I recently made a short video on how to get creative work done. The gist of the video is that if we spend a lot of time either stuck in mental loops or being emotionally reactive, we wont get a lot of creative work done.
This video was intended for creatives but really applies to any work, any craft, any pursuit. It’s hard to get any meaningful work done if you’re siphoning off your attention to fear or outrage or any of these difficult emotions.
This is partly why I spend so much time writing about emotional awareness and emotional processing. (Here’s Part I of a series of posts.) Being less reactive, in general, means that I can get more done. But emotional processing is not something that you do once and then reap the benefits. I wish it was as easy as that. It is something that bears fruit as you cultivate it. Consistency is key. (Here’s a related post.)
Writing about emotional work really helps me be more consistent with my own practices, so I’m really writing these posts as much for myself as for anyone else who is facing similar struggles. It’s a reminder to myself. A reminder to keep coming back to the work (creative and emotional) and be as present as possible. It’s a reminder to be mindful daily and not neglect emotional processing.