Get It Done: From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day by Sam Bennett

We always complain that there are never enough hours in the day. The good news, is that you don’t need an hour to do something important. You can break it down into 15 minute chunks.

These small moments can add up to something great. So stop making excuses and get something done. That’s Sam Bennett’s motive for writing this book. She delivers some great advice in this book aimed specifically at creative people who think they might not have the time to be creative.

But we all can make the time. We can carve out 15 minutes. Bennett gives us some great advice on how to make that happen.

Here are some of my favourite parts of this book and a few thoughts / connections I made while reading it.

on The Isolation of an Artist . . .

“Part of the problem is that you’re weird and you know it. Whatever made you talented as a kid also served to make you a bit odd. Since, as my friend Sam Christensen has observed, you live in a world that constantly send you conflicting messages – “Stand out! Fit in! Stand Out! Fit in!” –it’s hard to know how to behave. And no matter how many movies and sitcoms conclude with the simple, heartfelt message that you should “just be yourself,” you walk around feeling lost, judged, and different—and not in a good way. “Among them but not of them,” as Lord Byron said.”

on Catching Ideas . . .

“Use a coupon-carrier type envelope in which you can file your little scraps of paper.”

“I suggest creating a file, folder, or envelop, and labeling it “Genius.” At the end of each day, put your ideas in there. They will nest and grow and, eventually, turn into something fabulous.” 

on Daydreaming . . .

Allot Fifteen Minutes a Day for Deliberate Daydreaming – “You want your hands to be busy so your mind can wander.”

“Do some simple, repetitive motion for fifteen minutes a day, every day. But this is not to get fit or lose weight or to lower your blood pressure – it’s to enhance your creativity and turn up the volume on your intuition.”

“And sometimes artists endure extended periods during which it seems as if nothing’s happening. It’s called acedia, meaning “spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui”

on Over-Thinking and Over-Complicating Things . . .

“The trick to defeating Getting-Ready-to-Get-Ready syndrome is doing fifteen minutes of research. . . If you assume that you need to do something before you can do the thing you really want to do, please check that assumption . . . Chances are that you’re overcomplicating things.”

“The idea that more studying leads to better answers is at best erroneous and at worst project-destroying.”

“So here’s my offer; you are allowed to do up to eight hours of research. That’s fifteen minutes a day for a month, or one straight day, or a little bit more than an hour a day for a week. Eight hours should give you plenty of information.”

The Verdict

This is a great book that can help you get started on any creative project. Bennett motivates us with great ideas for organizing our ideas, time, and money. She helps us fight the evil forces of procrastination that forever threaten to derail our creative endeavors. And she outlines a plan to get even the biggest projects done in small steps. All it takes is 15 minutes a day.

So let’s get started!

My 2014 Reading Log – continually updated all year long