A lot of people talking about creating more than you consume, but it’s extremely difficult in practice. Actually sitting down to create every day is an impressive feat, especially when you add in the murkiness of whether or not the work you do for money counts as creation.

It’s so easy to get caught up in consuming more than you’re creating. I am incredibly guilty of this. I can spend hours every day reading articles online, scrolling Instagram, and reading books. But those hours end up feeling like lost time when I don’t also spend time every day creating.

Why You Should Create Every Day

I struggle to create outside of my work hours or tasks. At the end of the day, my brain feels drained of all creativity and words. Each day I typically spend hours researching and writing, sometimes for my own enjoyment (like my blog or journaling), but most often for someone else.

When all I do is work with words all day, I start to feel like everything is work and not play. My daily tasks start to feel more like homework than creative activities.

But when I do finally make the time I feel so much more relaxed and energized. Don’t get me wrong, reading books, watching movies, catching up on blogs, and poking around Instagram can all inspire me. But it’s not the same as busying my hands and letting go of expectations.

How to Create Every Day

1. Keep it short.

While I would love to create more than I consume on a daily basis, it’s just not always realistic or desirable. This month I’m trying to create for 15 minutes every day. That’s it. And even that may feel like too much.

2. Mix it up.

The more I mix up my hobbies and creative outlets, the more inspired and energized I feel overall. I picked up knitting again a couple weeks ago for the first time in a year, and it gave me the perfect amount of space from my writing. I’m able to mull things over or get out of my head completely. Water color painting, baking, and homemade gift making are on my list as well. As someone who can quickly tire of a craft project, I like having multiple creative outlets available.

3. Join a community.

There are a lot of groups who do a little something every day, whether that’s an ink drawing or a creative Instagram post. Look for a group that fits your interests or inspires you and jump in.

4. Let go of perfection.

This one is the hardest for me, but it makes the biggest difference. I can spend more time obsessing over getting something right than actually sitting down and getting it done. Instead of worrying about whether my cookies are perfectly round or if I messed up a single stitch on my scarf, I try to focus on the process as a whole. Perfection isn’t the point, the time spent on the activity is.

5. Creating is what you want it to be

People seem to get caught up in the DIY/crafting aspect of creation, but it can really be whatever you want it to be so long as you are making and not consuming. Coding an app, making a digital collage, writing a letter to your grandma – it all counts.

Need more ideas? Most of my tips for how to write every day can easily be translated into how to make or create every day.