How To Be Creative if You Only Have 15 Minutes To Spare

There’s always time to prioritize your creativity. Here are 11 ways to get inspired, get organized, and get going.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a pickle. A half-finished sewing project was calling out to me from downstairs… but I was stuck upstairs with a sleeping baby in my lap. 

It was frustrating to think about how I had the time but not the ability to make any creative progress that afternoon.

As soon as naptime ended, I’d have to take care of a few things before I could sit down at my sewing machine. 

Of course, I had a few slivers of time here and there – a 15-minute stretch before dinner, then another window of opportunity while my husband ran bath time. 

But could I really do anything creative in such a short amount of time?

Yes – but only if I knew what!

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When it’s a full week and we’re juggling everything from deadlines to dishes, it’s easy to get stuck doomscrolling in the spare minutes we do have. But those minutes add up to wasted hours. 

Why not use those little in-between moments to do something more satisfying? 

If you only have 15 minutes to spare today but you’re buzzing with creative jitters, here are a few ways to get inspired, get organized, and get going.

Get inspired

In the mood to do a little something creative while you’re in between projects? Give these activities a shot:

1. Swatch colors

I’m guessing you have a set of underappreciated paints, pens, or colored pencils somewhere. Dust them off and test out one color at a time. Simple swatching is a relaxing, low-pressure way to start familiarizing yourself with your materials again.

While you’re at it, toss out any color that's past its prime and make a note of anything you need to replenish. This way, your set will be ready to go the next time you pick it up.

2. Gather info and inspo

Inspo-gathering is a great use of time if you have a project in mind but you're not ready to start just yet.

The key is to avoid mindless scrolling and pinning. Be strategic and search for specific resources that will help you along.

Would it be useful to track down a few good YouTube tutorials that you can paint along with later? Or maybe it's time to explore color palettes for your living room refresh?

A focused 15-minute research session gives you just enough time to learn the basics of a new technique or uncover inspiration to get your creative wheels turning.

3. Think 

How often do you carve out quiet time to just think?

If your answer is “never,” then give it a try this week. Put aside your phone. Tuck away your AirPods. Say hello to your mind. 

Indulge in a few moments of uninterrupted brainstorming, visualizing, processing, musing, and creating.

I probably spend an abnormal amount of time thinking about and mulling over my own creative ideas. Some of my best thinking happens when I'm going for a walk, cuddling my sleepy baby, sipping a cup of tea, or sitting in the garden. 

As I let my mind wander, it helps to have gentle sensory input to keep me grounded in the present: physical movement, warmth, chirping birds, glistening water. (There’s a reason some of the greatest ideas sneak up on people in the shower!)

When I snap out of it, I feel energized and excited to explore my ideas in more tangible ways.

4. Analyze older work

If you’re not ready to launch a new creative project, spend your 15 minutes reviewing past work – from the unfinished stuff to your absolute favorites.

What do you love about the best things you’ve created? What do you like and dislike about the projects you paused? Do you see any similarities between totally different projects?

Taking the time to reflect on what you’ve already done can help guide you toward processes and outcomes you enjoy. 

On Instagram, I’m in the middle of sharing 100 projects in 100 posts. My grid is basically a hodgepodge of project highlights from over the years mixed in with my most recent crafts and creations. Seeing those pictures side by side has taught me a lot about my multifaceted style. (I plan on writing more about that in the future!)

Get organized

If you already know what project you want to work on next – but you don’t have the time to get started right now – try one of these quick to-dos:

5. Prepare materials for your next project

Depending on what you’ll be working on next, wrangling and setting up the supplies might take some effort. Your future self will thank you for spending 15 minutes taking care of that prep work now.

Gesso the canvas. Pre-wash the fabric. Sort through all the bits and bobs. Then, when you have a longer stretch of time to get started, you can dive right in.

6. Print things out 

I suppose this to-do could fall under the previous one. But in my world, printing out project-related pages feels like a different animal. 

(It really only takes a few minutes. It just feels like it’ll be a big hassle until I get it over with.)

If your next project calls for a PDF pattern, reference photo, or recipe, I bet you’ll be able to find and print out what you need in under 15 minutes.

7. Tidy up your creative workstation 

Messy spaces can be pretty uninspiring. When I need to use my desk or sewing table for a new project, but I never cleaned up the last one, I find it hard to get started.

If you have a few moments to spare, attack whatever untidiness exists in your creative space. Discard the scraps and put the remnants back where they belong. 

What about the dreaded half-finished project? Stash all the supplies in a bag, envelope, box, or drawer so you can pick them back up later.

8. Put together your creative to-do list 

If you’re not entirely sure where to start on your next project, creating a rough plan or to-do list would be a great preliminary step.

Spend 15 minutes mapping out the general phases and then break each one down into manageable tasks. 

The other day, I was in the mood to do something related to this newsletter, but I didn’t have time to get too deep into writing. So, I ended up organizing my notes and drafts in Google Drive and creating a loose content calendar to help determine what to publish when. 

You can have fun with color coding like I did. Or, get serious with dates to hold yourself accountable.

However you approach it, your quick planning session will help set you up for success in the days and weeks to come.

Get going

Okay – maybe you’re already feeling inspired and organized. But you still don’t think you have enough time to do the creative thing you want to do.

You may not have enough time to do the whole thing. But if you can find 15 minutes today, you can definitely do something!

Here are a few ideas:

9. Do three 5-minute sketches

Do you wish you could draw more? Well, in 15 minutes, you can start and finish three 5-minute sketches.

They might not be brilliant, but they’ll be three more drawings than you would have otherwise done today.

10. Freewrite

Want to start writing more? In 15 minutes, you can fill a few pages by hand or on the keyboard. 

Jot down the ideas floating around in your head. Or spend the time journaling. It will be well worth it.

11. Practice an instrument

If you enjoy all types of creativity, you probably have at least one musical instrument or noisemaker lying around somewhere. 

In my house, you’ll find a tin whistle, a kalimba, a child’s metallophone, my middle school flute, and a piano that my husband plays beautifully. 

I’m hopeless on the piano. But I love messing around with the metallophone to see what songs I can recreate in a single (rainbow-colored) octave. It’s a fun way to spend a few free minutes while keeping my little one engaged.

Maybe you’re more serious about music than I am. In that case, use your 15 minutes to advance your cause.

Want to get better at guitar? I know nothing about guitar, but I do know you can strum a few chords (or play five 3-minute songs!) in that time.

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Whatever strikes your fancy, just know that you don’t need much time to do something creative today. 

All you really need is the resolve to put aside the distractions and prioritize your creativity.

Maybe those 15 minutes today will become 30 minutes tomorrow and the next day… and soon enough you’ll be keeping up a daily creative practice.