“I don’t have time to make mandalas every day.”

If you want to find more time each day for an artful activity like creating a mandala a day, try these strategies:

Get Organized

Collect the basic materials you’ll need for the activity you want to do each day. I have a table that is dedicated to my mandala practice where I keep my basic supplies handy. Whenever I have a moment to create, everything is within hands reach and I can get to work without having to take the time to find what I need. Before I had a dedicated room for my mandala practice, I would keep my supplies in a cabinet with the different types of supplies organized in baskets. It made it easy to move the supplies to whatever room I found myself creating. Keep in mind, you don’t need much space to start a mandala practice.

Make It Portable

With mandala making, you don’t need many tools or supplies to get started. A simple pencil case can hold your tools including a pencil, eraser, black fine point pen, compass, ruler, and some colored pencils or markers. You can keep this in your purse and pull it out in those unexpected moments when you have to wait. For example sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for an appointment or on a lunch break.

Start Small

Working in a small journal makes it easy to complete a mandala in 15-20 minutes. My favorite small sized journal is the Bee Paper Super Deluxe Sketch Pad, 6″x6″.

Challenge Yourself

Dare yourself to take 15-20 minutes each day to create.

Schedule It

If you are a morning person, I suggest you schedule your 15-20 minutes in the morning. If you are a night person, then certainly don’t try to schedule your daily creative practice in the morning.

Unplug

How much time is wasted sitting in front of the TV or computer reading e-mails and Facebook posts? When you unplug, you’ll find that you have a lot of free time for creativity.

When you begin making time for creativity, you’ll find that you’ll seek out more and more time for it. It is so relaxing, fun, and good for your body, mind, and spirit.

“Don’t worry about producing perfect results – it’s the process that’s more important than the product!”
~ Pat Davis