creativity Archives - Start A Little Fire

How will you spend your extra hour?

29/10/202329/10/2023startalittlefireLeave a comment

How will you be using your extra hour? ⏰

It’s that time of year again, when British Summer Time gives way and ushers in the new season 🍂

There’s a lot of debate about the impact this causes, but it does give us the benefit of an extra hour of a valuable resource. Time. So how can you make the most of your hour?

💤. If the transition into Winter is already making you want to hibernate, use this hour to work on your sleep hygiene. Sleep is probably the most important factor for both our physical and mental health, so monitoring our pre and post sleep behaviour can help ward off any issues. Do you use screen time before bed? Is your environment, or your mind, cluttered? Are you getting sunlight in the morning to reset your circadian rhythm? Making some small changes or exercises to help your body with sleep can make a big difference.

💭 You might want to use your hour as a planning session and get a head start on the busy months to come. Take a bit of time to make sure you have important dates or deadlines written in the diary first, so that you can plan any festive jobs and activities around these. Then write a brief list of things that will need doing, and a rough plan of when. Also make sure you allow yourself time for rest, to reduce burnout.

🔮 Or simply allow yourself time to dream and wish. Our minds are often in a hectic state, trying to keep up with day to day demands. Technology makes us feel we are constantly contactable and our minds get used to this feeling of being ‘on alert’, just in case we miss something important. But this hyper attention gives us little time or mindspace to just daydream or imagine and fire up our creativity…something we probably used to do as children. Taking a walk in green spaces or nature can help with grounding yourself back in the here and now. Other people find they get their best ideas in the shower.

However you use your hour, do something that feeds into what you need today. More rest? More forethought and planning? More creativity?

Whatever it is for you…enjoy ever second of it! ⚡️

Photo credit: Andrik Langfield via Unsplash.com

Why not have a go this month?

12/09/202102/09/2021startalittlefireLeave a comment

Motorcycles with learner plates

Did you know that September is the Festival of Learning’s ‘Have A Go’ month? In celebration of lifelong learning and self development, it’s encouraging people to try new things.

I have long been an advocate for lifelong learning and I believe that our education shouldn’t stop when we leave school.

And whether you consider learning to be education in the formal sense, such as gaining qualifications etc., or whether you are interested in learning more about yourself and how you can get the best out of life, education and evolving is key.

Just as the world around us evolves, so do we. So should we. We’re not the same people we were when we were younger. Situations and experiences shape us. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

We are constantly evolving.

The positive side of that is that we have the opportunity to choose what we become. Our resources may be limited at times and we may need support to do it, but ultimately, we have the power to change our experience.

And without learning, we stagnate. Physically and mentally. We lose motivation and desire quickly if we’re not stimulated and engaged with the world or the people around us. And it can be difficult to get it back.

Trying new things brings novelty, and our brains love novelty.

Research has shown that we are much more likely to stick at a new habit or skill if it involves something new.

During lockdown, many people have struggled with motivation, and after months of being stuck at home without routine or structure, it can be hard to get yourself back out there again. So trying something new could be one way to take small steps.

Whether it’s a new activity we’ve never tried before, or perhaps doing something familiar in a different way, we can build our interest back up.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to have a go at? Perhaps a new skill or ambition, or just greater awareness of self? Something to improve your health or wellbeing, or open doors to new opportunities?

Photo by The Ride Academy on Unsplash