Why do some of us have a hard time finding time for what we love to do most? I’ve decided it was time to create my personal best practices for time management.

For handmade artists, that’s a passion for making things.

Artists thrive on creating.

Busy schedules and other parts of school life or running your own business can leave you with no time to create.

Here are some tips for finding inner focus by spending more time on what makes you happy.

And reconnect with what makes you tick.

1. Make doing a priority

Don’t let the passion of your life take a backseat! Without Passion what do we have?!

Reserve blocks of time on your calendar just for creating. Trust me when I say that it is totally worth it.

Instead of trying to take advantage of creative time where you can, why not build your larger schedule around what you enjoy most?

Find out what time of day you feel most creative and productive and plan carefully. If you have multiple creative tasks to accomplish, you may want to consider using the Pomodoro method to effectively manage time with a timer. 10 or 25 minute block to help you stay on track!

Personally, I manage my to-do lists in Trello and then use the Pomello app from the Chrome Store to control them via my laptop.

The ticking seems to make me more productive. If you want some audio to help you focus, I recommend using Noisli.

2. Get rid of the guilt

If the above feels indulgent, consider the benefits creativity has on the rest of your life.

Look at your creative outlets as needed to relieve stress.

For restful time alone, and for personal satisfaction.

After doing this, you will find it easier to find time for the things and people you love.

Meditation is excellent for this. I recommend Headspace! With a clear mind, you will find it much easier to study, and you may even find that you retain more of what you have read.

3. Take advantage of your trends

When do you feel most inspired?

Keep track of your mood and energy levels throughout the day.

Write down when you feel most creative and drawn to hands-on artwork, and write down when you feel like your brain could handle studying. This way, you can use that time to your advantage.

The same technique can be applied when you are most productive for whatever you hope to accomplish in your day.

4. Develop a routine

Once you’ve determined when you feel most creative or when you feel like you could retain more information, it’s time to get serious.

Create a daily practice that takes full advantage of your maximum creative windows, and do your best to commit to it. (An excellent mindfulness technique)

Practice doing something creative every day, even if all you can manage is a few moments. Doing so keeps your overall mood up and increases your chances of retaining information that much more.

For example, knit a few rows at lunch or sketch during your commute to work.

So even on days when you can’t commit to a larger routine, your creative work retains a place in your day.

5. Be proactive

A common problem among workers today is a phenomenon psychologists call “Reactionary Workflow,”.

So we spend most of our working hours and energy reacting to external stimuli.

Instead of projects that we intentionally set out to do that are important to us.

“Instead of being proactive with our energy, we’re acting in response to what’s coming,” writes Behance founder Scott Belsky in the 99U website’s “Beware Reactionary Workflow.”

Dr. LeeAnn Renninger recommends becoming aware of how you’re working throughout the day.

The Director of LifeLabs suggests taking five minutes each day to pause.

Check in with yourself and ask yourself, “Am I working proactively or reactively right now?”

Then take small steps and spend more time doing proactive work that will leave you more satisfied.

6. Eliminate distractions

With today’s access to instant information and constant social sharing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

“Creative minds are highly sensitive to the hum and buzz of the world around them,” Belsky writes in the book Manage Your Day.

“As these urgent demands push us back and forth, it becomes increasingly difficult to find a focused space for creativity.”

If you find you’re getting lost in an internet black hole, consider removing your computer or digital devices from your work space.

Complete any tasks that could infringe on your designated creative time before you begin.

Streamline and delay other tasks that interest you less.

This means you’ll have more time and energy to devote to creating.

Make use of Trello!

7. Accept that being creative is not always easy.

Like any job, making art is hard work.

If you don’t expect it to feel easy, you may feel less discouraged on days that are especially challenging.

“I find I have to push myself, put my head down, and get to work,” Lisa says.

“It’s not always easy, but completing a new job feels amazing.”

8. Give yourself some slack

Once you’ve found a routine that works, you can loosen the strings a bit. Janet Hill of the Janet Hill Studio says she no longer pushes herself to the extreme.

“If I’m having a bad day creatively, I walk away from it and do something else and go back to the new thing the next day,” she says.

While structure and time management are key to productivity, so is the process of letting your creative mind wander.

Strauss says some of his best ideas come when he’s out for a walk. “I don’t think an idea ever occurred to me while I was sitting in my studio looking at a blank canvas,” he says.

9. Face your fear

If you try these steps and still have trouble prioritizing your creative and study time, address what else may be holding your back back.

Maybe it’s not the lack of time but the fear that stops you. Fear to fail? What about the fear of success?

Look your fear square in the face and get to the bottom of it to open the way to a more creative fulfillment.

10. Value your creative work

Treat your creativity and the fruits of your labor as your most precious possessions.

If you think of your creativity as your life blood, you’ll start to see it as a fuel source for everything else you do.