THE WORLD OF THE DIGITAL CREATOR

The Working Day of the Successful Creator

Take these six steps to transform your day from dull to dynamite

The world is full of digital creators who are more successful than you.

They’re more successful than me, too, before I get big-headed. But I’m growing as a writer, and I’m pleased with my progress. There’s one big difference between how my day used to look when I started freelancing, compared to now.

I have a system, and I’m going to share it with you.

Why Go to All This Trouble?

Like any other aspiring writer, I started out with the idea that my skills were so good that I could conjure my wonderful words of wisdom onto the page and readers would lap it up.

I’ve found it doesn’t work. You’ve found it doesn’t work. We’ve all found it doesn’t work. So, what are the most productive creators doing differently that gets results? They have a structure to their day.

This structure offers several benefits:

• Your output becomes reliably consistent
• A list of ordered steps is an easy way to get started on your tasks
• You feel relaxed, comfortable and confident, knowing the shape your working day will take
• Your work starts to get more of an individual style, which regular readers become familiar with and seek out

And, more than anything else, I’ve found that when my day takes this shape, it gives something back: INSPIRATION.

You want it, don’t you?

The Six-Step System to Success

I’ve kept you waiting long enough.

Welcome to The Wonderful World of the 6 Ws.

1. WAKE

If you can, wake up (and get up!) at the same time every day, seven days a week.

It’s not possible for every person, and it’s not possible in every household. However, the most recent studies show that humans receive a huge benefit from waking up at the same time each day. As creators, there is an additional reason why we should apply this to the whole week: if you’re like me, you do some kind of work every day in any case — weekends don’t have the same meaning anymore.

So, get up and get going. Speaking of which…

2. WALK

Whether you live in town or country, one of the most inspirational things you can ever do is to simply go for a walk.

You get fresh air and exercise, which are particularly important if much of the rest of your day will be spent sitting down inside. But you also get something else. Something very important.

Non-digital stimulus.

As a writer, I’m always on the hunt for fresh ideas. Often these come from seeing what’s trending in the news and on the internet at large, and I’ve written regarding this elsewhere. But what’s really nice is to be out in the world, in touch with the environment, the weather and your surroundings, and hungrily feeding off your observations of people, nature, industry, travel: an unending supply of creative triggers.

What we sense becomes our story. Collect your data wherever you can.

3. WISH

Upon your return, a time for reflection.

What do you wish for from today? What influences have worked their way down to take a grip on your memory? What do you plan to do with all this energy and material?

Aspiration comes from inspiration, and now’s the time to bend your will upon the very best workday you can imagine. If you had one wish for the output of today’s work, what would it be? What will your perfect day produce?

Now, let’s get to it.

4. WORK

The meat and two veg, the nitty-gritty, the brass tacks, the nose to the grindstone, the heart of the matter.

You’re now in the perfect position to create. You’re rested, you’re exercised and refreshed, marvellous thoughts fill your head and ONE great idea simply will not go away. Apply the tool to the trade, whatever that may be, and let the goodness flow.

Take frequent breaks and further refreshment, by all means, but dedicate yourself to whatever creative target you have set. Now’s the time for peak productivity. Now’s the time for the rubber to meet the highway. Or however you say it.

Work hard now, for respite is coming…

5. WALLOW

At the end of your busy day, flop time is crucial.

It’s going to achieve two things for you:

• It’s the beginning of the relaxing part of your day
• It gives you a chance to reflect on the day’s successes

In perfect balance, these two factors are a dynamite combination for TOMORROW’S success.

Find a way to relax that allows you to put all the challenges of the day behind you, but leaves a little room to revisit key moments and bask in the glory of your achievements. Some of my most inspired moments have risen from chatting over everyone’s day with the family, and realising that someone experienced something worth writing about. There’s no pressure at this point: just enjoy your wallowing and see what it brings.

Maybe, to quote Howard Carter, “Wonderful things!”

6. WONDER

So let any new ideas settle in as you relax.

Have your notebook handy to jot down anything that comes to mind. Ponder upon how you might shape it into something useful. Abstract thoughts are best at this stage: don’t be tempted to start actual work again.

Those notes are going to serve you well tomorrow.

Trust Your System: It Works

I developed this structure over a couple of years.

It became obvious that fitting my daily working-from-home regime around a busy family life was something I had to get right. Without harmony between the various tasks each day presents, not only would the quality of my writing work suffer, but my responsibilities towards the family would also start to gasp for air. A partner who works differing shifts throughout the week, and a stepdaughter whose mixture of school and other activities makes every day a unique adventure, mean that I have to have something that simply snaps into place, fitting in the gaps.

This approach works for me, and I’m confident that it will work for you too.

Let me know if my system looks useful to you or, if you’re already well-established with your own approach, tell us all about any differences.

Either way, have a great (and structured!) day.

— — — — — — — —

Hi, I’m Mark.

I’m a writer from the UK who loves exploring life in this marvellous universe and sharing what I find.

Thanks for spending your time with me today.

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