Creative Jumpstart

Here's a habit you can start immediately, no matter where you are in this process. It's simple and, while getting started may not be easy, if you practice it long enough, it will be come your setpoint.

On the next evening before you begin an entire day off (if you're fortunate, your job gives you 2 days off in a row, but if not, this is even more important), hold off the beer, pizza & movie until you've spent 15 minutes on an activity related to your passion. Walk through the door, take your shoes off, hug your kids, and get right to work.

If you're a writer, draft a paragraph or two...or just do a journal entry. If you're a musician, gather your current practice music together. If you sew, pin one piece of a pattern to fabric. If you're a community organizer, write or key one date into your calendar.

That's it. When you've finished one small step or 15 minutes have passed, whichever comes first, stop. Enjoy your evening, play with your kids, chat with your partner, relax in front of the TV.

Why is this so important? It's because this one small action sets the tone for your entire weekend (whatever days your "weekend" falls on). If you make a small start the night before your day off, it will be much easier to spend a hearty chunk of time on your project the next day. The Creative Jumpstart gets the ball rolling in a way that even a late night of partying can't interrupt in the long haul.

It also proves to yourself that you don't need to take big dramatic steps to see real progress. Adding up a large number of microsteps leads to the same accomplishment, and it may be a more effective way for you to fit your passion into a demanding life.

Let's move on to the meat of this book - making your day job and off-hours passion work for each other.