Sometimes, I go to art galleries and simply stand in awe. I don’t have an art degree, or even a body of creative work. So, the thought of developing a collection of studio art is awe-striking to me. I wonder if I could ever be so creative. But I remember what it takes for the kind of little projects I do. No artist simply creates a beautiful work in one version. They build it over time until they have a finished piece. Personally, I love that journey — whether with writing or my designs. That’s how I use my planner to boost creativity.
How to Use a Planner to Boost your Creativity
As part of that creative journey, I use a planner to help me set aside time and focus my process. Each week, I lay out a weekly spread. I often think of it as a way to be productive. But, it actually helps me be creative too.
From the design of the page, to the actions I put in the tasks, I find little ways to stay inspired.
Save Ideas
I often leave a section for ideas in my weekly spread. They’re usually not too fancy. Just a place to jot down ideas as they come to me. This helps me in two ways.
First, it kind of frees up my mind because I’m not worried about forgetting those ideas.
Second, it lets me look through them later and pick the best ones.
Doodle
I remember getting in trouble for doodling in grade school. I was never disruptive. I would just embellish my homework, activity sheets and notes with illustrations as I thought about the assignments.
Most of my teachers hated it and told me I was wasting time.
Until one of them understood.
I remember one substitute teacher found a pile of doodles in my desk and showed them to my mom. She pointed out the level of detail in the doodles that I made during “story time” when the teacher would read chapter books to our class. I knew all the characters names, descriptions of the settings, and significant objects. I was just processing the information in a picture instead of a list of notes. She thought it was a perfectly fine way to busy myself during the quieter class times.
I’ve carried that moment with me into my adult doodles. Sometimes, you just need to think things through visually.
Collect Quotes
Since I was a teenager, I’ve collected quotes. Sometimes, they’re in blank journals. Other times, I put them on the top of my planner or a to-do list.
I find that they set the mood for me.
Make Time
Part of being creative is setting aside time to create. Whether you makes things as a hobby or for a living, it can be an emotional and exhausting process.
I prefer to break down creative projects into stages to help me keep the right pace. Otherwise, I can be critical, rushing to revisions. Or I never get started.
It’s that perfection paralysis.
But, when I schedule the steps for my creative project, I feel more attuned to each of the steps.
Clear your Mind
I’ve been seeing a lot of “idea dump” pages in the planner community and I think they’re excellent. Basically, people make pages devoted to getting all their ideas together in place, regardless of the quality.
It’s freeing and the results are often lovely.
Boost Your Creativity with a Planner
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If you’re looking for ways to boost your creativity, use your planner to get your mind moving. You might be surprised at the results.
Personally, I use a dot journal to explore my creative side. If you liked this post, you might enjoy the creative ideas on my Instagram feed.
