How Time Off Allows Your Well of Creativity to Fill Up Again

We all start off bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when embarking on a new creative endeavor. The passion is palpable, the ideas flow freely, and our excitement buoys us through the initial obstacles.

But what happens when that initial burst of creative energy starts to wane?

I remember when I first started writing on Medium, I was thrilled to put my thoughts out into the world and get feedback from readers. For the first couple weeks, I wrote whenever inspiration struck, fueled by the novelty of it all.

Take a break and draw from the well of creativity. Photo by Maxime Bouffard on Unsplash

But slowly, as the likes and comments tapered off, so did my motivation. I knew I needed to implement some kind of routine to keep myself accountable.

Having a schedule worked wonderfully at first.

I diligently carved out time every day to write. But before long, I started to feel drained. My writing felt forced and repetitive. I was bored with my own work, and I suspected readers were too.

That’s when it hit me — I was burnt out.

My creativity was completely tapped. Pushing through would only produce lackluster work. It was time to take a break and come back refreshed.

Here are some signs it may be time…