29 (Or Less) Ways To Stay Creative

I love lists.

So it was with great delight that I stumbled across this video from Get Out The Box listing 29 ways to stay creative.

1. Make lists
2. Carry a notebook everywhere
3. Try free writing
4. Get away from the computer
5. Quit beating yourself up
6. Take breaks
7. Sing in the shower
8. Drink coffee
9. Listen to new music
10. Be open
11. Surround yourself with creative people
12. Get feedback
13. Collaborate
14. Don't give up
15. Practice, practice, practice
16. Allow yourself to make mistakes
17. Go somewhere new
18. Count your blessings
19. Get lots of rest
20. Take risks
21. Break the rules
22. Don't force it
23. Read a page of the dictionary
24. Create a framework
25. Stop trying to be someone else's perfect
26. Got an idea? Write it down
27. Clean your workspace
28. Have fun
29. Finish something

But let's be honest — who has the time to do all these things when we're so busy trying to be creative? Not me.

So, in order to make your life easier, I'm going to suggest combining a few, or even skipping the non-essential ones, in order to save time and be more productive.

• To begin with, if you don't bother buying that notebook (#2), then you won't have to make lists (#1), write for free (#3) or write ideas down (#26). Time is money and you just saved yourself a bunch of both.
• Next, why waste precious time singing in the shower (#7) when you can combine it with #11 (surround yourself with creative people) and shower with creative people? Streamlining.
• Still need more time? Quit beating yourself up (#5) — collaborate with others (#13) and have them do it for you. Outsourcing.
• But there's more you can do. Embrace #6 (take breaks), #22 (don't force it) and #25 (stop trying to be somebody's else's perfect) by not trying too hard to complete the rest of the list.
• And finally, affirm the spirit of #21 (break the rules) by breaking rule #14 (don't give up) and just give up entirely.

Congratulations, your productivity just went through the roof and you learned how to be creative.

How To Be A Bond Girl

We've been enjoying a Bond marathon of sorts lately, courtesy of 7mate, which has been showing 2–3 movies each weekend for the last couple of months.

Among the many talking points that spring from the Bond franchise, one that has stood out to me is the phenomenon of the Bond girl. Specifically, what does it take to be a Bond girl?

Here are a few of the prerequisites I've noticed.

1. Never wear a bra. The only exception is when a bra is the only thing you're wearing, although in such situations please consider a light dressing gown, as this will be easier for Bond to take off.
2. You must possess the ability to say "Oh! James!" This will most likely be your only dialogue so make sure you get it right.
3. Be willing to take a slap in the face once in a while. Most applicable for those playing opposite Sean Connery.
4. Get used to sharing. James will, almost without fail, have at least two other Bond girls in every film.
5. If you're the first Bond girl to appear in the movie, you'd better be prepared to die. Because you most likely will.

The Doctor — Part 13

If you asked me why we decided to leave America I would have given you two words: President Palin. (Although now that Ms. Palin has said she will not be contesting for the Republican nomination perhaps it's safe to go back?)

But the truth was much more complicated than that, and one of the many reasons we decided it was time to come home was my health. It had steadily declined over the last two years and I needed to be in regular consultation with the medical professionals, something which we couldn't afford to do in America.

So we came back to Sydney and have quickly gotten back in to the swing of having regular doctor's visits and working hard at trying to get healthy.

And the latest news from the good doctor is that he has shifted his diagnosis from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to Fybromyalgia (although the two conditions often overlap). With CFS the dominant symptom is fatigue, where as with Fybromyalgia the dominant symptom is chronic pain, with fatigue a secondary symptom (along with many others). And if nothing else it also has a much more scientific sounding name so it must be legitimate.

So the plan this time around is to tackle the pain first, and then see what happens to the rest of the symptoms after that. As usual, most of the treatments prescribed thus far exhibit side effects stunningly similar to the original symptoms, with a couple more thrown in for good measure. But we press on and fight through the pain until we — hopefully — find the right track. I'm starting to feel nauseous just thinking about it.

It's good to be home.

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Image by chuckp.