Karen Brown Tyson

Tag: #reset

30 Ways to Help You Reset Your Creative Time, Mind and Soul

Since starting my business in 2018, I have been going nonstop. My days have been filled with client meetings, freelance assignments, speaking engagements, writing books, teaching classes, and community service. I’m grateful for everything God leads me to do. My public relations, corporate, and marketing communications background has helped me develop creative ways to grow my business. But lately, it seemed like my beautiful, creative life was moving into overdrive. By the time I reached August 2021, my creative time, mind, and soul were running on fumes.

As someone all about continuous improvement, I decided to use some of my Lean Six Sigma training. From my days in corporate America, I learned to use Lean Six Sigma to make things better. So, how was I going to improve my creative time, mind, and soul? I decided to hit the reset button (one of my favorite things to do).

While I was on a business retreat, I challenged myself to do one of three things: 1) Keep the habits I know work for me, 2) Return to the habits I stopped doing, or 3) try some new things for 30 days. This process helped me reset my creative time, mind, and soul while helping me find new sanity-saving routines.

Since I strongly believe in Hebrews 10:24:

We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works.

I thought I would share some of the ideas I came up with for myself and add a few to give you 30 ways to reset your creative time, mind, and soul, too. My prayer is that these ideas will inspire you to add something different to your creative life.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

Ways to Reset Your Creative Mind

Adjust your thinking every day.

The way you think can affect many things in your life, including how you work. For example, holding onto negative thoughts or replaying bad memories can put a damper on your mindset. So at the start of each day, adjust your thinking to focus on positive thoughts.

Read 5 pages each day.

Reading 5 pages a day is a great way to relax. But remember…if you don’t like to read, try audiobooks!

Exercise your brain.

Give your brain a break from work. Exercise your brain by learning a new language, playing games, and taking a cooking class.

Take a walk.

Going for a walk isn’t just good for the body; it’s also great for the mind. It can help improve your mood and let you clear your head at night after a stressful day.

Allow yourself to make changes in your day.

When you feel like something is off with your day, take a moment to reflect on what that might be. Then, whatever it is, permit yourself to change things up.

Schedule regular “me-time” moments.

You deserve to take a break from your hectic schedule. So make sure you have the time to relax and unwind every day.

Keep a self-care journal.

It’s important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. I recommend keeping a journal and writing down your feelings regularly. This will help you feel better and think more clearly throughout the day.

Schedule regular breaks to unplug.

It’s important to schedule regular breaks throughout your workday to help you stay focused.

Close your eyes for 30 seconds.

You should close your eyes for about thirty seconds. It’s an easy way to relax and reduce stress.

Step away from social media one day per week.

I recommend that you give yourself a break from social media every once in a while. I do it once a week, and it really helps me stay focused.

Ways to Reset Your Creative Soul

Schedule moments of silence and solitude.

One technique I use to keep balanced is creating moments of silence and solitude. Taking time out every day for focused reflection helps reduce stress, making me more productive.

Meditate on Scripture.

Scripture meditation is an excellent way to quiet your mind and rest in the presence of God.



Surround yourself with positive affirmations.

I think the best way to achieve your goals is by surrounding yourself with positive affirmations. That’s why I created a list of my own, and I hang it on my wall so that they’re always in front of me.



Find a way to encourage someone daily.

One of the best ways to nurture your creative soul is by encouraging others. So keep an eye out for opportunities to pat others on the back or make someone smile!

Help someone in need.

Consider volunteering. Not only will you be helping someone in need, but you could also make a new friend and improve your community.

Create a wind-down routine.

It’s important to set aside time each day to decompress from work. Even if you only have a few minutes, it can make a big difference in your mental health and well-being. Try doing something you enjoy, like taking a hot bath, listening to music, or reading a book.



Warm yourself with a cup of tea.

A nice cup of tea is always soothing. If you find yourself feeling stressed, try some chamomile flowers or mint leaves for a calming effect.

Record your thoughts in a gratitude journal.

Keeping a gratitude journal is important because it will help you appreciate the little things in life.



Remove clutter from your work and living spaces.

Clutter can make even the most organized person feel disorganized. Not only does it take up your space, but it could also be a distraction! However, cleaning your home and workspace is a great way to feel refreshed. You can start by purging the items you don’t need and then organize what’s left.

Dream BIG!

The best way to take care of your creative soul is by dreaming big. Make time in your day to think of all the possibilities that are out there for you. If you need an inspiring book, consider Bob Goff’s book, Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It.

Ways to Reset Your Creative Time

Work on your most creative and fulfilling projects when your energy level is high.

I am a morning person. I wake up every day around 4 a.m. to begin my day. My problem is that I have been trying to work all day and half the night. As you can imagine, I start to lose steam by 7 or 8 p.m. So instead of spreading my creative projects over the day, I set aside a certain amount of hours each morning. I’m using my afternoons for non-creative tasks, meetings, and emails.

Focus on 3 daily goals instead of monthly goals.

Although I have a planner that outlines my monthly goals, I’ve been using daily goals to make it through each day. Using a combination of notebooks and Post-It Notes, I write out my 3 most important daily goals each morning.

Build a habit of single-tasking

In my attempt to do as much in a day as possible, I fell into the trap of multitasking. Instead of getting more done, it only left me feeling overwhelmed. So, using my PomoDone App, I switched to single-tasking by focusing on one task at a time.

Adopt the time-blocking method

Time blocking is a technique used to plan out every moment of your day in advance and dedicate specific time blocks for certain tasks or responsibilities. Once I started time blocking, I felt more control over my time and the tasks I needed to complete.

Batch email time

Nothing kills your creative time like email. Don’t get me wrong; I love email. But when I found myself reading every email as it popped into my inbox, I knew I had a problem. So, I decided to schedule the times when I would read and respond to my emails. Then, outside of my scheduled time, I turned my email off to avoid interruptions.

Start a creativity journal.

The best way to ensure that you stay inspired and creative is by journaling. The process of writing ideas down will help you keep track of the concepts, and it allows for reflection, which can serve as inspiration in future challenges.

Switch up your work environment.

To focus better, don’t be afraid to move to a different work environment. Clear out distractions like clutter and use sounds, light, plants to help guide your attention in the right direction.

Don’t let productivity kill your creativity.

Productivity is vital in any business, but don’t let that stand in your way of being creative. If a cluttered desk or work table helps you think and works for you, don’t feel the need to change. Instead, focus on surrounding yourself with the things you need to keep your creative juices flowing.

Make time to daydream.

I can remember when people would say, Get your head out of the clouds! While this statement was meant to stop people from daydreaming, the clouds may be the perfect place for creative entrepreneurs—schedule time to daydream or brainstorm new ideas or products.

Test your ideas.

As your ideas move from daydreams to actual products, make time to test your ideas. With each test, you will be inspired to make changes and keep moving forward.

How have you reset your creative mind, soul, and time?

September 9, 2021
How to Reset Your Creative Business to Keep Your Goals on Track
Do you need a business retreat? Do you use your retreat as a time to look at the goals for your creative business? I hope your answer to both questions is yes. Not only will a business retreat allow you to get away from your routine, but your time away can help you analyze your progress and reset your creative business.

I can’t resist the opportunity to reflect and reset. For my business retreat, my family and I rented an Airbnb for a few days. Not only did I take a look back at everything I had planned for this year, but I was able to see areas for improvement so I could move forward. For everything I was able to accomplish this year, I am grateful to God. During my time of reflection, I remembered James 1:17:

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.

So if you’re feeling stuck in your creative business, this blog post is for you. I’m going to share with you some tips on how to reset your creative business to keep your goals on track.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

Take a break for a day, or even just an hour, from your creative work.

While I believe in business retreats, I also believe every creative entrepreneur and writer needs rest. As I mentioned in last week’s post, it’s easy to forget that we all need downtime. But if we manage our stress and take care of ourselves, it can do wonders for our productivity. So, for your business retreat, take a day or a few hours for yourself. Do you have to leave town or rent an Airbnb? No. Spend time with family or catch up on your sleep or reading at home. The most important point is to take a break for yourself.

Reassess your goals and priorities.

The mid-year point is a great time to reassess your goals and priorities. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to clarify how you want the next 6 to 12 months of your creative business to go. As you reassess your goals and priorities, this may be one of those times where it’s best to take some deep breaths and think about the goals you have planned for this year. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How many sales have I made this year?
- How much money am I spending on expenses each month?
- How much are my profits for the year?
- How much does each of my products cost?
- For each product – how many people visited the sales page?
- For each product – what is my conversion rate?
- What should I offer next? Why?
- Which products or offers should I stop focusing on? Why?
- What new products or offers should I test?
Measure and reflect on what you’ve done so far this year.

Next, gather data from any tools you use to manage your creative or writing business. For my business, I take a look at data from:

Google Analytics

My Shopping Carts (ThriveCart and SendOwl)

Email Service Provider (ConvertKit)

My Social Media Scheduler (CoSchedule)

My Pinterest Scheduler (Tailwind)

My Project Management Tool (Meistertask)

Once you gather your information, it’s time to take stock of where your business stands right now- What things are going well? Where could improvement be made? Keep in mind: any progress you have made this year should be celebrated. So take a moment to reflect by recording your thoughts in your journal.

Look at the big picture of where you want to go in the next 12 months.

Imagine what the next chapter of your business might look like. What would be some milestones you hope to achieve? How about an end goal for where you want this all to go in 12 months if success were a destination and not just a journey.
This is no small task: it’s going to take more than dreaming up ideas or brainstorming them into existence; those are the easy parts! Your roadmap entails setting goals that will guide everything from your marketing plan to how often you publish content on social media channels. It means having faith when plans hit snags and getting back out there with renewed vigor after every setback – never giving up until each milestone has been reached (and surpassed).

Create new goals and strategies that are realistic but challenging enough to keep things interesting.

Keeping things interesting is key to a successful strategy. So why not try something new and fresh? A common misconception of business leaders is that they must repeatedly do the same thing to be considered “successful.” However, this mindset can lead businesses into complacency as much as stagnation: repetition breeds boredom! But this isn’t you. You’re a creative entrepreneur unafraid to try new things. Building on past successes while thinking outside the box with innovative strategies will help your creative business reach newer heights year after year.

Time to get back to work but don’t forget to have fun along the way.

You’re a creative entrepreneur with a never-ending to-do list, and you need some encouragement. Well, don’t worry. You can have fun on the way as long as you remember these four things:

1) Learn from your mistakes because they make for great stories.

2) Keep yourself accountable by setting goals that align with your overall business strategy.

3) Put your faith in action. Trust God to help you live out the plan he has for your life.

4) And most importantly, keep believing in yourself no matter what people say or think. If we know one thing about creative entrepreneurs, they don’t like to give up until their dreams come true.

It’s time to focus and reset. Whether you need a mental break or some downtime, you must take the necessary steps for your own well-being to avoid burnout. Take a moment to rest, tell God how you feel, and ask Him to give you the strength to reset and move forward (see also ‘How To Make Time For God With A Busy Schedule‘). To help you, I created a FREE Rest and Reset Journal. I invite you to download a copy today.
August 26, 2021
8 Absolutely Achievable Mindset Shifts You Need as a Writer
“Many people fail not so much because of their mistakes; they fail because they are afraid to try.”

George Foreman

As a writer, you fight. You fight procrastination. You fight writer’s block. You fight with the fear of failure and the fear of success.

Your writing career may not be too different than a boxing ring, and the way your mind works will determine how the fight goes. The good news is that you can win every fight by changing your mindset.

For years, I wanted to write books but always fell short of my goal. Until I decided to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset to write my first book, Time to Refresh.

A growth mindset will help you look beyond the obstacles and find opportunities to take you closer to your writing dreams. For that reason, here’s a list of eight absolutely achievable mindset shifts you need as a writer.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.

[bctt tweet=”Your writing career may not be too different than a boxing ring, and the way your mind works will determine how the fight goes. The good news is that you can win every fight by changing your mindset.” username=”KBTWrites”]

Building a Growth Mindset—The Problem

When you look at best-selling authors, famous writers, and successful bloggers, you feel intimidated by their expertise and accomplishments. Looking at their masterpieces, reading their ravishing reviews, and seeing their name everywhere makes you doubt your abilities.

The more you question your skills, the less you grow.

Remember: Your mindset determines your failures. Your mindset determines your success. A mindset shift is important in reaching your goal.

Building a Growth Mindset—8 Absolutely Achievable Mindset Shifts, You Need to Write

1. Inspiration instead of Intimidation

Imagine you are a thirty-year-old guy or girl, sitting in a lonely room, reading about best-selling authors who wrote their debut novels when they were in high school or an author who has won dozens of awards.

You may feel envy and intimidation.

Let every success story you read inspire you. No matter how late or early you start your writing career, your beginning and your circumstances are different from others. Likewise, your failures and successes will be different from others.

2. Action instead of Procrastination

Procrastination is every writer’s enemy. When it comes to procrastination, most people associate it with poor time management. However, it is a deep-rooted problem that triggers several psychological, neurophysiological, and social factors. Twenty percent of Americans deal with procrastination.

You cannot fully get rid of it; however, you can see a visible difference when you make actionable plans and set sustainable writing routines. Keeping track of your progress also helps in dealing with procrastination.

3. Persistence instead of Exhilaration

You were happy today, and in your excitement, you finished writing two chapters. Good? Yes and No!

You can indeed work more when you feel happier and more energetic. But, this can slow you down in the long run. There will be days when you don’t feel exhilarated or inspired. Depending on your mood and feelings will limit your progress.

To make your writing dreams come true, you need persistence instead of exhilaration. Make writing a routine you follow irrespective of what happens around you.

4. Change instead of Disappointment

If you cannot follow the routine you made or cannot complete your assigned tasks, don’t be hard on yourself. Most people feel disappointed and start doubting their attitude or abilities.

It would be best if you accepted these little failures as reminders, motivating you to change. A mindset shift involves making changes as needed.

5. Lesson instead of Fear

The fear of failure can stop you from trying. Likewise, the fear of success can make you self-sabotage your success.

Your fears can bring anxiety, feelings of guilt, and depression.

Don’t let your fears control you. Fight them. Learn lessons from your failures and don’t deviate from your path. Stop beating yourself up for your mistakes and find ways to overcome the obstacles.

6. Self-Affirmation instead of Self-Doubt

Don’t rely solely on receiving affirmation from others. As part of your mindset shift, practice self-affirmation by writing positive reminders or statements to encourage or motivate yourself.

Here are a few affirmations you can use on your journey. Use the ones that resonate with you or write your own to support your current writing project.
1. I am confident in my ability to write.
2. I permit myself to learn more about writing as I go.
3. I give myself time and space to write.
4. I am proud of myself when I finish writing, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
5. I allow myself to grow into the writer I want to be.
6. I will not judge my writing or myself harshly.
7. I will not hold on to feelings of doubt or fear.
8. I take time to love and care for myself as a writer.
9. My mind is full of creative and bright ideas to support my writing.
10. I am at peace with who I am as a writer.
7. Credit instead of Criticism

When you work as a writer, be prepared to receive criticism from others. The truth is no one likes negative comments. However, different people react to critique in different ways.

When you are still struggling to be a writer or failing to write as well as you imagined, negative feedback can make you feel disheartened and want to give up. It may also lead to Imposter Syndrome. Imposter Syndrome is a psychological pattern that makes you doubt your abilities and think of yourself as a fraud.

As part of your mindset shift, think of criticism as feedback to help you work harder, write better, and become more successful.

8. Now instead of Later

The biggest growth mindset shift you need is to take action. Now.

It is not easy to change your mindset. It takes time and effort. Take small steps to move away from things that discourage you. So you can move closer to the things that inspire you. When you stay focused on your goal, you can overlook your failures and start a successful journey with a growth mindset.

In Summary

I hope this post inspires you to apply these eight absolutely achievable mindset shifts you need as a writer. More importantly, I hope you see you are not alone in your struggles with mindset. I used to let my mindset hold me back from accomplishing my writing goals. Until one day, I made a mindset shift. One I did, I never looked back. This week, I’m proud to say that I launched my second book, Time to Reset: A 21-Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Sidelined, Disappointed, or Knocked Off Course. And, as I tell my students, ‘If I can do it, so can you.’
February 2, 2021