I don’t know about you, but sometimes I struggle to get things done during the day and to focus. I feel like I have so much rattling around in my brain that I don’t know where to start. My body is tense and I’m just stuck in my head, thinking the same unproductive thoughts over and over.

I think this can happen to anyone, but especially to artists trying to make their art and build a career. To creatives trying to use both the left and right sides of their brains to get things done.

Well, about six months ago I went to see my acupuncturist at a time when I was feeling this way. She told me that to get a grasp on it I needed to focus my energy. I needed to establish a solid foundation inside myself to anchor my feelings and help me see life clearly.

Now of course I wanted to ask her ‘what do you mean?’ ‘How do I do that?’ ‘What are the steps?’ I wanted to her to tell me exactly what I needed to do. But she couldn’t tell me. It was something I had to figure out for myself.

So I went home and thought through what calms my mind, what calms my body, and what makes me feel centered. And over time I developed what I call my ‘foundation hour’.

Now, every day before I get down to work, I spend an hour doing yoga, meditating and reading something inspirational. I don’t spend a lot of time on any one of these things but combined they fill me up and help me move forward with my day.

After my foundation hour I feel strong, I feel focused, and I feel relaxed. I truly feel that I can approach the challenges of the day better by just taking this hour and making it my own.

Full disclosure: Some days I skip my foundation hour. Life is just too crazy to fit it in. And sometimes I break up the hour into smaller chunks. For example, I'll meditate first thing in the morning, read while eating lunch and then do yoga in the afternoon before picking my son up from school. I don't beat myself up about this, I don't give up on my foundation hour because some days it only lasts 15 minutes. I just keep at it and fit it in when I can. And I stick with it because I know it is something that helps me be better and do better. Period.

Now, if you've read this far I'm guessing that you are digging what I'm saying and are considering incorporating a Foundation hour into your day. Yay - Good for you! I highly encourage you to find an hour during your day that you can devote exclusively to taking care of yourself.

I don’t expect that your foundation hour will look like mine. You have to figure out the details for yourself. However, in a future post I will share with you resources that have been helpful to me as I’ve built mine out.

And if you want to see how a fellow artist has turned painting into a meditative process, check-out my interview with Kris Loya.

Artists: Take Time Out for Yourself Every Day