How to multi-task and stay in the creative process

I’ve heard many people say – “Doing many tasks can’t work! It will kill your creativity.” But in my opinion – this is WRONG! Multi-tasking actually opens oneself to more creativity.

It’s all about your priorities. And sometimes, there are more priorities at a similar level. What now? I always fought to bring just one activity to the top of my priority list, and it just hasn’t worked. I was struggling and trying to figure out what’s wrong.

Then suddenly, I discovered the magic of lettin’ go – I stopped tryin’ so hard and just let my life flow, and my priorities began to reveal themselves. I started to do little bits of everything that I want to, when I want to and held myself back with one task at a time.

The shortest way to do many things is to do only one at the time.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Multi-tasking could only work when we do one thing at a time. In meaning the attention and focus is just at one thing. at a time.

Only one thing at a time

Just a few days after I started focusing and taking action on one task at a time, all things around me started moving in the right direction. This feeling that finally, all I want is slowly happening was so tonic and so powerful, it gave me more energy, more drive, and I could do more and more. But just one thing, well, at a time. Be patient.

I found it handy to notice that when you are focusing on one project and suddenly have an amazing idea related to another project, write it down in your “Nothingbook.” And let the thought go and focus back on the project you were working on in the first place.

These notes in your nothingbook will help you be more organized and productive in everything you do. It opens your creativity window, and the boost you will feel motivates you to be more productive. It’s the muse that catches you and holds you. You will be accepted and start flying. You can’t stop it, and you don’t want to stop it! But you realize that you can manage the flight. You are the master of your life. You are the master of the creative flow. The muse is supporting you, but you are the one doing the actions in creating.

Sometimes it’s tough to manage multi-tasking. If you find yourself struggling here at this point, slow down. Stop. Deeply breath. Go for a walk, observe your surroundings. Be in and watch nature. Or sit in a city park and watch the people. Try to focus on the present moment. Watch a feather flying across your nothingbook when you are putting down your thoughts.

Be in the present

You have to live your life even through your creative process. Take a walk. Sit on a bench. Try to turn off your thoughts about your projects. Be present at the moment you are in – listen to sounds of nature, city, or wherever you are sitting in. Smell the smells around you. Watch two white butterflies flying around you. Watch the clouds above you—smile on people passing by. Feel the fresh, pleasant flow of the wind going past your neck and gently kissing your cheeks. Bring a beverage with you and sip it, really taste it. Use all your senses to bring you to the present.

It is in the present miracles start happening. You will discover the right thoughts and answers for your projects.

Slow down, be you. Do not compare yourself to anyone. Be You.

Derek Waters

Watch the charred chimney spewing fragrant smoke into the light blue cloudy sky. Be in the present. In that presence, you meet yourself and start accepting yourself as you are. You start learning to live with yourself. When you realize who you are, you stop playing roles on others. Because you know the power of you, it is you. You are who you are.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

Dr. Seuss

By accepting yourself, you will bring bigger awareness of your subconscious, and you will be closer to the biggest power in the world. Love. God. Whatever you call it. In the present, you start understanding your subconscious, and you want it because, as we know, our subconscious drives so much creating in our lives.

But what others think?

Sometimes being in the present can feel strange and unfamiliar. Others may be around or looking at us, and it is just feels weird. But don’t concern yourself of what others think. If you want to smell the flower, smell it. If you want to touch the tree, touch it. Feel. Live. Be. Don’t think what others think. They are so unique that you can only guess their thinking, so why spending time on something you will never know anyway. All the assumptions you have are only yours. They are your opinions. Not theirs, so they probably think about totally different things than you think. Be you. You are unique! And that is not just okay. It’s “facting” amazing!

Carrying about what most people think of you is useless. Most people don’t even know what they think of themselves.

Jim Carry

How to bring the drive with multi-tasking

You are sitting in the park, and your water bottle falls. Do you think what others think? No – you just pick it up. And this same thing should be in an artistic way! Not thinking about others and just doing it! Because you are an artist, so you do artistic things! You fail. You are successful. It doesn’t matter because you are doing it.

I found helpful to have many projects at once and when you are stuck with one, just switch to other one. Create a productive proccrastination by switching between projects.

If you still feel overwhelmed, or you are thinking about quitting. Just look back at the things you created so far. Look at them and be grateful you could do all that shit. Not everybody could accomplish what you have done. Stop crying and continue, but cry if you need to – don’t block it, emotions are important – maybe you would also be interested in my other article about emotions. Straighten yourself and continue on.

Productive multi-tasking

Art will bring you joy and gets you back on track. Found your Art. Dance, write a script, perform, create a video with your favorite monologue, or start painting – Mackenzie from Bohemian’s minds can help you with that – check out her amazing article about how to start be a painter. Any Art form can help you with stress and get you back to multi-tasking.

Sometimes the path is really hard, sometimes you don’t want to continue as it seems useless because nothing is getting in the place, but be patient. If you do hard work, it will bring their fruit. Keep goin’!