A well that is empty can give no water. A well that is full can provide water for decades. A well that is connected to an underground an inexhaustible source of water will never run dry. Your connection to that inexhaustible source is your “fill the well” time. This is not a phrase that I coined – it is from uber-teacher and author Julia Cameron – and I think that it’s brilliant.
Your output will only be as good as your input. (I actually prefer the term “throughput” because what we’re really talking about is how you take in stimulus, smash it together, and form something new to present to the world as a creation.) Your ability to make great stuff is directly tied to your ability to take in great stuff.
I have three regular components in my schedule that contribute to this. They are absolute sacred times to me, and they are some of the most important pieces of my rhythm.
I have a weekly “fill the well” time. This is the time in which I take in new stimulus, I challenge myself artistically, and I experience new things. It can be a movie, a trip to the bookstore, or whatever else will challenge me to think new thoughts. The "what" is not nearly as important as the "why." I do this because it’s essential to have good stimulus for me to churn on. If I’m going to lead my team effectively and if I’m going to be creative in my individual decisions, I need to have good stuff to draw from.
Second, I have a monthly “make” day, in which I do nothing at all but make things. This gives me permission to just float around, clear my calendar and write and make things. And the things that I’m making are things that I want to make, not things that I’m required to make. This is not my “create on demand” or “catch up with my workflow” day. This my day to work on all of the extra stuff that I never get to do otherwise. This is the day to clear the decks and explore my personal curiosities. Just having this on the calendar relieves the stress of "when am I EVER going to get around to THAT?!?"
Finally, I have a quarterly creative retreat. For me this is 2-3 day retreat, locked away in a room, doing nothing but reading, making stuff and relaxing. It’s where a lot of my creative vision and passion is sourced. It’s a great, great time for me, and it’s right around the middle of the second day is when my brain really starts engaging creatively because it takes that much time just time just to purge all of the stress and anxiety out of my system, and most of my really great ideas happen in the last 3 hours of that 2-3 day creative retreat!
These three additions to my calendar have worked really well. I don’t know what will work for you, but it's important that you are striking a balance between drawing from the well and filling it. Again, creative rhythm is a perfectly unique thing that each individual. Each person must find their own way of structuring time, energy, stimulus, focus and relationships.
Make certain that there is time on your calendar that reflects your personal creative priorities.
