Last night I read the King’s Stilts to my 5-year-old. I probably read this classic Dr. Seuss book 100 times during my own childhood but last night the message jumped out at me loud and clear. 

You can’t rule the kingdom, run your business, manage a team, or pour all your energy into work, all the time. 

You have to make time for play.

In the book, the king gets up early and does all his work in the morning so he can spend the afternoons galavanting around the kingdom on stilts. 

When someone takes his stilts away, he becomes sad and depressed and can no longer run the kingdom. Without the balance of fun and work, he loses all motivation.

Who can relate?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a few more minutes (or hours) staring at a computer screen or thinking through the problem, will reveal the solution. 

Usually, it’s the opposite. The next time the answer eludes you, take a break. 

Stand up, close the computer, go outside, phone a friend.

Engage in some creative procrastination (legos and adult coloring books are two of my favorite play breaks).

Play feeds your creativity but it can be hard to make time for it. 

You might spend your days at a creative job but even those coveted creative jobs can be exhausting. It takes time and energy to come up with new ideas. 

So what can you do to stimulate your creativity and generate new ideas?

Making time for things that bring you joy is essential for your happiness and creativity. But sometimes it can be hard to remember what you liked to do before adult life and digital distractions took over. If that’s the case, let’s talk. 

I’ve helped my clients carve out time to paint, meditate, exercise, write, and it’s amazing how that ripples into other areas of life.

You don’t need an hour. In the words of Elle Luna, start with 10 minutes. 

Drop me a line and tell me what’s something fun that you can spend 10 minutes on today?