"How are you?"

"Busy. Really busy."

We all know individuals who repeatedly respond with this answer. Busy feels important. Busy means you have real duties and obligations you must tend to. Busy means you are needed. 

I know, because I used to be one of those people. Running from task to task, checking things off "The List" continuously from 5am to 11pm fed the task-oriented hungry wolf inside. Simultaneously, it also starved creativity- the quiet little sheep that needed time to roam in the grass and soak in the sunshine, unhindered by Time and Obligation.

Deliberately creating space in your life to play is the catalyst for creativity. Ideas need room to breathe. The jam-packed To-Do list is seductive, but it also leaves little room for serendipity.

I listened to an interview with Adam Grant, the author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. He mentions how procrastination may be the enemy of productivity, yet it also serves as a resource for creativity. When we are not actively engaged in a specific task, we can enter the flow state more readily and access a wealth of ideas. Build margins into your life. With the extra free time, listen to Adam Grant. Guard that space like your life depends on it. It does. And so does your creativity.