I saw a reel the other day that felt on point. An influencer stands in front of the camera, modeling a new jean jacket.

“It fits so nice!” she says (or something to that effect). “So easy to pair with outfits. Comfy. Cute! Check out the links in my profile.”

Meanwhile, behind her, flames. Buildings and land burn. The world is on fire.

As a business owner, I know all too well how difficult it is to move forward with business as usual as troubling world events rage around me. I care. Deeply. And I am heartbroken over all the horrible things going on all around the world.

And . . .

I have a life to live and a business to run. A family to take care of. A marriage to nurture. A team to support. Mental health to keep in check. Family and friends to love.

The paradox can feel overwhelming. I know. I truly, truly know.

And . . .

I believe deeply that creativity is an act of resistance.

Love, both of self and others, is an act of resistance. Making space to think and hope and create—that is an act of resistance.

But in our hyperproductivity-focused, distracted, pain-ridden world, creating space in your day solely for creativity can feel impossible, or even indulgent. I could go on and on about the personal benefits of creative space that I’ve observed across hundreds of people over the past sixteen years, but the truth is you know the benefits already. However, the facts don’t necessarily help us overcome the overwhelm of the world around us.

So if you’re finding yourself uncertain about those big goals you set at the start of the year—yes, maybe including writing a book—I hope I can meet you where you are, acknowledge the pain of the current reality we’re in, and also encourage you to continue in the direction of your dreams.

Neglecting your creativity can lead to brain decline.

Layer in the fact that tools like ChatGPT make it easier than ever to outsource thinking. We’re living in a time of distress and distraction and—pow!—here’s a tool that can do all our creative work. Writing? Done! Outlining? Done! Strategy building? Done!

But while many find it exciting to put in a prompt and get back a strategy, sales page, or entire e-book, researchers are finding what we’ve always known: Nothing in life is truly free.

According to a recent study from MIT, using long language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT—rather than fully engaging one’s brain—has potential “cognitive cost.” They had study participants write an essay and monitored their brain activity while writing, breaking them into three modalities: brain only, Google search, and ChatGPT. As the researchers note: “EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. . . . Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.”

Here’s where it gets scary: Not engaging the brain in a meaningful way leads to cognitive decline. Conversely, engaging your brain meaningfully, and giving it positive input, helps form new neural pathways and improves brain function. (Of course, there is more to this—perhaps to be detailed in a future article.)

So, I know it’s hard. I know there’s so much going on. And I know it’s really, really tempting to push the easy button.

But for the sake of your brain, keep that baby working. Nurture your inner self. Make space for deep thinking. Keep that beautiful brain of yours awake and alive and creating.

Remember that your book is a catalyst for impact.

And as you’re making space for creativity, anchor in the knowledge that you are not just writing a book—you’re impacting the world for good.

Throughout the past sixteen years in this industry, I’ve had the honor of working with hundreds of authors and have directly contributed to more than 100 books. And I love my niche: goodness-creating books. As a nonfiction book coach and strategist, every book I work on contributes good to the world in some way. From personal development to business and leadership to social equity to keynote memoir to science and wellness and beyond, I’ve had the honor of shepherding life-impacting books by incredible authors. And I hope you’re next.

Putting good into the world can take many shapes and forms.

Sharing your expertise in a way that uplifts, elevates, and even changes people’s lives—that’s goodness.

Sharing your story because it will help others in a meaningful way—that’s goodness.

Contributing more diversity to the publishing landscape—that’s goodness.

Journeying through the transformative experience of authorhood and showing up clearer, more confident, and more anchored to your big vision and mission—that’s goodness.

And can’t we all agree that the world needs a little goodness these days? I sure think so.

Joyfully create through the hellfire around you.

I apologize in advance, because I am about to tell you a bunch of things you already know—but, like me, probably need reminded of from time to time. Because the truth is, protecting your mental peace involves simple habits that have been around since the dawn of technology time. To put these creativity-nurturing habits into place, here are a few specific, actionable things you can implement into your life today.

1. Protect the “trapdoor” to your brain. The second you open up your email, social media, news, or another input, it’s like opening a little side door to your brain. Now your attention is seeping out as you’re trying desperately to focus on something creative and meaningful. I recommend staying out of these attention vampires until 11 a.m. every day.
   
2. Delete social media off your phone. I know, I know. Girl, what? You can still access the platforms from your computer, but you won’t get the dopamine hit of scrolling continuously on your phone for hours on end.
   
3. Create clear boundaries around your creative time—and protect it like a mama bear. Get that creative focus time on your calendar every single day. I don’t care if it’s ten minutes or two hours. Get it on there and stick to it. If needed, get accountability support from a peer or coach.
   
4. Lower the bar for success. So many of my clients come to me having “failed” to write their books in the past. I don’t see failure as a bad thing—I see it as an opportunity to learn. And most of the time, these well-meaning author hopefuls went in too hard, too fast. They had limited extra time but suddenly tried to write for two hours a day. Now it’s my turn: Girl, what? Lower the bar for success and raise it over time. You’ve got this.
   
5. Limit your news. I was surprised to learn that many neuroscientists don’t watch the news—but my surprise quickly faded when I realized that made total and complete sense. The news is designed to incite and create fear, two states that are not exactly nurturing environments for creativity. So, stay informed however you need to, such as a short daily podcast with headlines, and then switch it off. Consider putting your energy where it is better used, such as attending rallies or calling your representative.

Have you struggled to create lately? What strategies are you already doing? What are you planning to implement? Share with me in the comments. I love learning from you!

P.S. This is a genuinely human article. No AI was used in the writing or editing of this piece.