Soon after quitting my job — after the novelty of my newfound freedom wore off — I dreaded starting new days. Each day carried the same frustrations: wake up, stare at a to-do list, stress over the list, not get everything done, and finish the day feeling ashamed that I hadn’t completed anything, even though I now had an extra 45 hours a week to create.
I went through a period of second-guessing my decision to pursue creative work full-time. I felt like I wasn’t cut out for it. I thought maybe I didn’t “want it bad enough” or that my ADHD would make it impossible for me to be a successful entrepreneur.
It took a while for me to learn what systems I needed and how to implement them. And in that process, it dawned on me that I wasn’t broken. I didn’t need more discipline, talent, or intelligence, I needed a creative process that made it clear what daily tasks were to be done.
Today, I’m writing this for the creative who goes to bed feeling like they’ve wasted a day, or like they are no step closer to their dreams than the day before. I know how absolutely icky this feels — the dread of knowing your potential is not matching your output — and if I can alleviate that creative agony a bit, I will happily do so!
The Creative Flow Matrix
You may’ve heard of the Eisenhower Matrix, which was created by the former U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower to organize his busy schedule!
I love this matrix, and have been referring to it since 2019, whenever I feel overwhelmed with tasks! Over time, however, I realized the matrix was no longer working for me! When I audited my creative process and energy through the day, I saw that I was creating and consuming much more than I thought! So, inspired by the Eisenhower Matrix, I created The Creative Flow Matrix for myself, and now, I’m giving it to you!
This chart helps you identify what tasks are moving you forward/toward your creative goals, and which ones might be holding you back. I encourage you to print it off and fill in each box with the tasks that belong!
I’ve also realized that identifying what work matters is very easy. If you don’t want to fill out this graph with your own daily activities, all you have to do is ask yourself: “Does this activity or task move my creative work forward?” If it does, prioritize it; if it doesn’t, move it down the totem pole.
This is how I prioritize my daily to-do list based on the Creative Flow Matrix:
And yes! I did mean to put the not enjoyable tasks first!
I believe in “eating the frog” which, for my non-U.S. readers, is a productivity strategy that suggests you tackle your most difficult, important, or dreaded task (the "frog") first thing in the morning to get it over with! The idea is that doing so creates momentum and prevents procrastination for the rest of the day!
Maybe it’s an ADHD thing, but I will always find time to do the thing I enjoy!! Just like I will always procrastinate my not-so-fun tasks like reading my grammar book or doing a speed-reading lesson! However, if you don’t struggle with procrastination, then you can order yours a different way!
Hi! I’m Isis Bradford, a full-time writer, creative, literary traveler, reader, Harvard-certified creative coach, and a lot of other fun things! Years ago I quit my job as a kindergarten teacher and threw myself into the unpredictable world of creative entrepreneurship! There were A LOT of things I didn’t know and had to learn the hard way! So, I created this series, The Creative Internship, for the creatives who aspire to become financially and mentally thriving creative entrepreneurs (creativepreneurs)!
This 10-week series teaches you what you need to know and walks you through experiments you can try before taking the big leap! We also meet on some Mondays to pray together, work together, and learn from each other! It’s not too late to join. If you’d like to join The Creative Internship, upgrade to a yearly membership by clicking hereand you’ll also get instant access to our previous 3 weeks!
