How to Reclaim Time and Create Mental Space

In our age of distraction and overwhelm, it’s all too easy to forget that time is a mental construct, and what our brains are actually keeping track of is where we put our attention. If you have simply too much going on to be creative, then you need to shift attention, especially as the management of attention is one of our main means of reclaiming our creative power. This means readjusting priorities.

What does this look like? Trying not to “do all of the things,” asking for help, and (gasp) relinquishing control. Don’t worry, this process can be a lot more satisfying and enjoyable than you think.

Creative Dose: To Don’t List

Purpose: To free up time and mental energy to do more of what you love

You can free up time by writing a To-Don’t List — a list of things that you have decided you will no longer do, and therefore no longer devote attention to.

To create your first To-Don’t List, you need to write down 3-4 items that you commit to stop doing within the next 30 days. Pro-tip: four is a great number to shoot for, so you have one time to focus on one for each week in the month.

Which tasks are candidates?

• If a task is so onerous and/or repugnant that you can’t reframe it no matter how hard you try, that’s a great place to start.
• If there is something that you feel that you have to do, but really don’t enjoy, that is a candidate as well.
• If it is a task that is neutral, but takes up time you’d rather spend on something else, that’s a good one too.

All of these tasks will go on your list and you will figure out how to Delegate, Alt(er), or Delete them.

1. Delegate
   Maybe the task can be delegated. You can find someone else to do it. For example, maybe there is someone else on your team who is really good at proofreading. Or, you break down the numbers and find that hiring a housekeeper is more affordable than you think. Outsourcing can save a lot of headaches and time!
2. Alt(er)
   Maybe the item can be alt(ered). Do you really have to balance your bank account by hand like you’ve done for years, or can you sign up for a service like Mint.com and reconcile items online or on your phone as you make purchases
3. Delete
   Finally, the item could just be something the you delete. You just stop doing it and thinking about it completely. For example, if you’re not a drinker and you’d really rather head directly home after work, then bow out of going to Happy Hour with your coworkers.

Now that you’ve determined which tasks go on the To-Don’t list, how will you either Delegate, Alt(er), or Delete them?

Here comes the fun part: ask a friend to kick around ideas on how you can eliminate each item from your life by either delegating/ outsourcing the tasks or stopping them.

Date your list, and over the next month, start putting your solutions in place.

At the end of the month, review your list and ask yourself these questions:

• Where have you decided that being in control was no longer important and delegated?
• How and where have you asked for help?
• How many tasks have you let go of completely?

Figure out what you need to continue to stop doing, and create another list for the upcoming month.

Take your newly reclaimed time and devote it toward a creative project — particularly one that you keep pushing off because you “don’t have enough time.” Keep this practice up for six months to a year and see how it changes both your time and the quality of your creative life.

This post is an excerpt from book Banish Your Inner Critic, under the chapter heading “Reclaim Time, Create Mental Space”. Reprinted with permission.