Take Time to Doodle {Creativity Boosts}

I know a lot of people feel they couldn’t possibly take time to be creative. Life is full enough with jobs, family, other commitments and still trying to find time to bathe and sleep; adding in creative time can seem overwhelming.

Part of this month is about inspiring you to take that time and showing you that it doesn’t really have to take a lot of time to build in a little creativity. So it is with today’s idea: doodling.

Why Doodle?

I know doodling may seem like a meaningless pursuit, and sometimes I guess it is. But the little creative outlet can bring about big benefits.

Doodling in a meeting or class can give you better focus, surprising as that may seem. Boredom takes a lot of mental energy, but doodling helps keep the brain more focused than you would be if you were straight-up daydreaming. And that little bit of extra focus means you’ll remember more of what’s said as well.

I doodle while I’m writing a lot. When I get stuck on words, putting down even a silly little image can give me a creative burst that gets me going again.

Practiced regularly, doodling can make you more creative, opening up different ways of thinking in your brain. It can help clear your mind and allow you to focus more on what you need or want to be doing. When you’re not focused on the outcome as you might be with “real art” it can be both a stress reliever and a creative outlet.

You don’t have to “be good at drawing” to doodle. I can’t draw a person that looks like a person, but I doodle all the time. It’s an act of creativity that can be done without judgement. It’s just lines on a page, after all.

And of course there’s very low investment in supplies, too: just use whatever paper and writing instrument you have handy.

How to Doodle

Providing instructions on doodling feels kind of strange, but if you’re not a natural scribbler you really might not know how to get started.

First know that this isn’t about art or making something pretty or even something that can be recognized as what it is supposed to be. It’s the drawing equivalent of free writing; just do whatever comes out without thinking about it too much.

You can use the margins of a page or a blank piece of paper if that doesn’t feel too intimidating.

One great way to start is to give yourself a minute, or five minutes, and just doodle.

Or keep a piece of paper on your desk and doodle when you’re waiting for a webpage to load or a document to print.

Make a big shape or a series of shapes and fill them in with doodles. We’ll talk more about that later this week.

The point is not to put a lot of pressure on yourself, just put pen to paper and create something!

Do you doodle? I’d love to hear if you think it’s beneficial and what some of your favorite doodles are.

This post is part of my month of creativity boosts. Check out the rest of the series.