Flirt with Your Creative Work

No. 163 | By Christine Carron

Do  you have fun getting your creative work done? If not, your productivity could be suffering.

Growing research shows that the way we engage in our work impacts how fast we get that work done. It even impacts our ability to get our creative work done at all. Bob Nelson, a leading expert in motivation and performance, writes, “Though fun at work is sometimes thought to be a distraction, research suggests that it has a positive impact on engagement, creativity, and purpose.” (Harvard Business Review, Why Work Should Be Fun.)

Hold on to that idea for a moment and let me land another one on you. 

Flirting Redefined

Many years ago, I heard a speaker, Regena Thomashauer, define flirting as “the act of enjoying yourself in the company of another.” Her definition stuck with me. It still strikes me as empowering and even a bit revolutionary. 

(It also makes speed dating much more enjoyable.)

I recently wove together these ideas of fun, productivity, and flirting when I suggested to a group of writers and artists that they consider flirting with their creative work as a means to boost their productivity. It made everyone laugh, but then they were like, "Yes, let's do that!"

Of course, “fun” is highly personal. You may like jumping out of airplanes. Me . . . not so much. 

Luckily, Goodjelly’s blueprint for unstoppable creative flow accommodates, indeed pretty much requires, that you honor your creative rhythms, preferences, and style. Traditional, cookie-cutter, do-it-this-way-and-only-this way approaches, on the other hand, will not, as designed, work for vast swaths of creative folk. 

Sure, maybe a particular formula as designed will help a few creative folk, but not all creative folk. To claim otherwise is the equivalent of saying size nine shoes will work for everyone.

You In the Equation 

One of the most important variables in you designing a set of productivity processes that will help you get your creative work done with greater confidence, ease, and delight is that you put YOU into the equation. That applies to you figuring out how to flirt with your creative work.

Here is the (potentially) tricky bit: It will likely take some initial effort for you to discover different strategies and tactics that will help you enjoy getting your creative work done more than you currently do. Ideally it will be an enjoyable endeavor, but it will involve effort—and time—nonetheless.

Let's Play

The invitation this week is to go for it. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each creative work session and ask yourself, What could I do to flirt with my creative work today? 

If you really want to go wild, consider creating a whole, separate task to identify a go-to set of ideas for flirting with your creative work. The goal: A list of ten different options that you will be able to use whenever you want to add a little vim, whimsy, and zest to the way you are getting your creative work done.

(Your creative work is going to be so charmed, it won’t know what hit it.)

Happy day, happy creating, happy jamming, you’ve got this!