How To Feel Less Overwhelmed

Even creatives need routines.

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
— Gustave Flaubert

As the gates of 2020 flew open, I had dreams of racing down the track as fast as I possibly could. I told myself this is it, this the year. I finally know exactly what I’m doing and what projects I want to do.

It’s only a week or so into January, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed.

Not because I’m burnt out from doing too much. I’m frustrated because I’ve done so little. Though I knew and planned for what projects I wanted to work on this year, I completely forgot to take into account my actual mental stamina.

“The Dizziness of Freedom”

I’ve realized I do better with a clear ordered pattern or routine. I kind of flew into 2020 without one. It wasn’t that I couldn’t race down the track, it was that I wasn’t sure what was track and what was distraction.

You need a routine too. Yes, especially if you’re a free-spirited creative. Because you probably also have a tendency for ADHD and constant anxiety about what to do.

Søren Kierkegaard referred to anxiety as “the dizziness of freedom.” Creatives are especially free, so it makes sense that we…