Compassionate Time Management for Creatives

Photo by Anna Nekrashevich from Pexels

I’ve always been acutely aware of the passage of time in its micro form. As a child, my eyes watched the second hand of the clock ticking steadily, counting down the minutes of math class, the school day, the bus ride, the school year, until I was home and free to do as I pleased. 

During my first career at a newspaper, the clock was a thing to race against — the pressure of the nonnegotiable deadline a constant companion. Every minute, every hour, was precious and fleeting, and the closer we got to the midnight finish line the more this was true. 

In the physical therapy clinic where I worked in my next career, therapeutic exercises were doled out in seconds: 30 seconds of standing with one’s eyes closed to challenge the vestibular balance system or 60 seconds of gaze stability to decrease dizziness. Treatment minutes were billable so those must be counted and measured and recorded. Hours of patient vs non patient time determined productivity and thus influenced income.

But once an event has moved into the months-ago or years-ago category, my awareness shifts. The timeline of the past twists and bends and stretches like taffy. Was that terrible wind storm in September or November? Did we take that trip to Germany last year or the year before? Time becomes an amorphous thing marked by photos on my phone, my digital memory keeper. 

This is where time can get away from me. That project I wanted to complete this year slides into the next. Sometimes that’s a necessity: deaths in the family, job changes, and illnesses all take precedence over previous intentions. But I still feel that internal clock ticking, those creative projects looming, tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “what about me?”

Do you feel that too?

Time management for creatives isn’t necessarily about squeezing more productivity out of every hour — although it can be at times. It's also about creating space for our imaginations to breathe, for ideas to germinate, and for our creative spirits to flourish. 

By blending insights from Ashley Whillans’ Time Smart and Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, I've discovered a gentler way to approach our relationship with time.

Step 1: Honor your creative rhythms

We've all heard about “writing every day” or “creating on schedule,” but here's a different thought: what if we valued our natural creative cycles instead? Research shows that treating time as our most precious resource transforms how we use it. For some of us, creativity flows at dawn; for others, midnight brings the muse. 

Self-compassion tip: Notice how often you compare your creative schedule to others’. Remember that Virginia Woolf’s routine wouldn’t necessarily work for Toni Morrison, and that’s perfectly okay. Your rhythm is uniquely yours.

Step 2: Simplify your creative space

Look at your creative practice. What’s essential? What’s just noise? Maybe it’s social media “research” that turns into endless scrolling, or perhaps it’s the pressure to maintain multiple projects simultaneously.

Self-compassion tip: You're not “lazy” for needing to focus on one project at a time. In fact, simplifying one’s creative load often leads to deeper, richer work.

Step 3: Rewrite your inner critic's script

As creatives, we’re intimately familiar with the inner critic. But what if we viewed time management through a lens of self-compassion instead? Rather than berating ourselves for a “wasted” writing session, we could try acknowledging the courage it takes to show up for our craft.

Try it: Create a “permission slip” for your creative process. Write down or state aloud what you’re allowing yourself to do: experiment, make mistakes, write badly, or simply daydream. For me, it sometimes means letting go of the need to push the word count to a certain number and instead letting the process move organically.

Step 4: Align time with your artistic vision

What matters most in your creative journey right now? Is it completing that manuscript, learning a new artistic technique, or perhaps just reconnecting with the joy of creating? Let your schedule reflect these priorities.

Self-compassion tip: Remember that seasons of gathering (reading, observing, experiencing) are just as valuable as seasons of producing.

Step 5: Create pockets of creative abundance

Time affluence takes on special meaning for artists. It’s about having enough spaciousness in your schedule for ideas to percolate, for inspiration to strike, for the unexpected to emerge.

Actionable step: Block out what I call “creative white space” – unstructured time where you’re free to follow your artistic impulses without a specific goal.

Step 6: Practice gentle course correction

Review your creative practice regularly, but with curiosity rather than judgment. How does your current approach serve your art? What simple adjustments might help your creativity flow more freely?

Self-compassion tip: View creative blocks or time management struggles as information, not failures. They’re simply signaling a need for adjustment.

Reflecting

The most beautiful works often emerge from a place of simplicity and self-trust. By creating a time management practice that honors both your creative spirit and your human needs, you’re not just managing time — you’re creating space for magic to happen. 

Perhaps you could reflect on this: What one simple change could you make this week to better honor your creative rhythms?

Want to talk it out and get support and accountability with your plan? I offer coaching services to help writers, creatives and other professionals incorporate mindful planning and wellness practices to find their creative flow and finish their projects feeling proud and energized. If this interests you, book a free info call below, and we can discuss whether coaching might be helpful for you.