How action breeds inspiration
Because procrastination will hobble your progress, you need to get busy ...
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 239
Waiting for motivation before you get started?
Don’t.
It’s not coming.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not the day after that.
In terms of being creative, the only way to get inspired is by making a start, even if that means making a start before you feel you’re ready. Even if getting started reaps wishy-washy initial results.
While all creatives need time to sit around, seemingly doing nothing, they intuitively understand that inspiration isn’t some mystical force that descends upon you in a beam of divine light. They understand that inspiration is a byproduct of doing the work. The more you wait for it, the longer it hides. The more you move, the faster it shows up.
Procrastination is the enemy of progress
You know the cycle:
"I’ll start when I feel motivated." No, you won’t.
"I need the perfect idea first." No, you don’t.
"I’ll wait until conditions are just right." No, they don’t.
Meanwhile, time ticks along and because you’re busy being busy with the idea of being productive, nothing happens.
Days turn into weeks.
Weeks into months.
Then, a year later, (or possibly longer than that), you’re another "aspiring" creator with note books or Word files full of unrealized ideas.
The truth?
Action isn’t simply the first step—it’s the creative spark that keeps productivity flowing.
Why motion creates motivation
Momentum is a real thing
The most difficult part of any project is getting starting. But here’s the thing: once you’re moving, once you’re making progress, even if it’s only small steps, inertia works for you, not against you. If you’ve ever tried pushing a car you’ll know this to be true. It takes effort to get going, but once the vehicle’s in motion, it takes less effort.
When you get into the habit of writing one sentence, then another, then another, the next sentences and paragraphs come that little bit easier easier. Likewise with video. Film one clip, then a second, and a third, and with your progress, the process of editing flows that bit faster.
Clarity comes from doing, not from thinking
I don’t care how creative or clever you are, you cannot theorize your way to a great idea. You discover ideas by making things and by stretching your creative comfort zone. So get busy. Challenge yourself. Do the work and put in the effort.
The best insights happen in the middle of the process, not in the planning stage of things. Inspiration is a strange thing and time and again, it will come to you in blinding flashes when you least expect it.
Inspiration rewards the working mind
If you’ve ever wondered why you get brilliant ideas while you’re in the shower, or walking the dog, or doing something mundane, it’s because the human brain has learned to process the sort of deep-thinking required to solve complex problems because you’re doing something else, not because you’re focusing on the issue.
How to hack the cycle
The 5-minute rule
Commit to just five minutes of work a day. Most of the time, you’ll keep going.If you stop after five minutes, that’s OK.
Embrace the ugly first draft or rough cut
Let whatever you produce suck. Get it out there, even if it’s wrong. Fix it later. Perfectionism is procrastination in disguise.
Stack small wins
Finished a rough outline? Good. Edited one clip? Great. Progress compounds.
Stop waiting. Start creating.
The muse doesn’t visit slackers or the idle. She shows up for the ones already at their desks, hands dirty, wheels spinning, doing something, making something—anything—happen.
I waited around for years for inspiration to come along. Nothing happened. But now that I’m busy, twice a week, writing and publishing something, things are happening.
So if you’re stuck, here’s your fix, your magic bullet if you will: do the work.
Once you get started, inspiration will follow.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: The slow and steady climb
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.