If you don't know about the Continuous Creation Challenge, check out the announcement explaining it before reading this. The context is essential and the comments are anywhere from revealing to hilarious. The recap article is also well worth a look.
If you read this between September 9th through the 14th, I'm neck-deep in a grand experiment and challenge.
The 120 Hour Continuous Creation Challenge has begun and more people are joining every day.
Although I'm in the middle of a creation binge and consumption fast – literally and figuratively – it's much more important what you're experiencing or have experienced.
This article today is short and to the point. Please don't get used to it. 🙂
Who's Doing It
If you've conducted your own Continuous Creation Challenge (or are passionately following our exploits), we want to hear from you!
Great ways to do that include:
- Leaving a comment below for our community to be dazzled by, respond to, and to help cheer you on. We want to see how you've tweaked the framework and made it your own.
- Use the Twitter hash tag #ContCreChal to join the real-time conversation and follow everyone's experiences
- Send me an email at joel@valueofsimple.com and ask questions, share unexpected outcomes, or let me know how I can make this even better for you (if you don't want everything on public display)
Inspiring people in our community like Denise, Amit, and Jane are doing it right now. But remember: even if you can't participate this moment, don't be stopped from doing your own in the near future. The longer you go and the more kinds of consumption you eliminate, the further ahead you'll want to plan for it.
The goal is to get 100,000 people to complete their own challenge by the end of 2014. I need your strength and your help to spread awareness of this!
Alone, I can't influence much. United, we can achieve unbelievable things.
Why You're Doing It
I want to know why you did or will be doing the Continuous Creation Challenge. More than anything else, having a clear purpose or set of goals is required to enjoy and be rewarded by this.
If you can't think of your “why” yet, don't start until you do. This is our second pillar principle, also known as:
Find Your Big Reason for Change before Attempting It
What Does It Look and Feel Like?
I also want to know what you created during your challenge. I'm talking answers to burning questions like:
- What did the list of your creations contain? We want to pat you on the back for your awesomeness!
- What kinds of consumption did you successfully eliminate or attempt to eliminate but fall short on?
- What did you achieve that you thought was impossible?
Once you have the answers to these questions (or your own), here are some great ways to share them:
- Write a blog post about your experience
- Type up a summary using the Share Your Story page
- Comment in this post right here
- Send me an email
- Make a groovy video and upload it to YouTube
Whatever you do, get creative. And make sure I know about it so I can feature how incredible you are in a recap article for our community.
Bonus points will be awarded to people completing their Personal User Guide during the challenge.
When and How Long
Accountability can be a tricky thing or the easiest thing in the world.
When we commit to something in public, most of us will do anything not to break that commitment. Do you want in on this but are worried about actually following through? Tell us right now when you'll make it happen and how long you plan to let this baby ride.
I promise to pick you up if you fall down. There will be no judgment here, only support.
Place Your Bets!
It's always fun to predict what someone's going to do on an unpredictable journey. If you're not participating in the Continuous Creation Challenge itself, you can still be an essential part of the action.
Besides what I've already told you I'm going to do, leave a comment about something you hope I'll be doing. You could also leave a comment about what you think someone else is doing on their challenge or what you would do on your challenge.
On Your Mark…Get Set…GO!!
Here we go folks!
Thanks to everyone participating! I can't wait to hear all about your experiences!
And thanks to everyone who can't do this yet but wants to empower us all by sharing this article with friends, family, and their social network. The more people who know about this, the more we can change the nature of our consumption crazy world. So share freely on Facebook, Twitter, G+, email, or through whatever medium you like best. Before you close this window, find one (or two or three) ways to support our refuge of simplicity.
And get excited for a huge recap article on September 20th with details about my experience and everyone else who dazzles me with theirs.
Start consuming less and creating more. What are you waiting for?
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Photo Credit: Chris JL
I have almost like a personal creation challenge. I have 8 things on my todo list this week and 7 of them involve writing. And my partner is sick, so household stuff—> mine. I can’t wait to see what you produce in a week of retreat!
Alright, so that wasn’t exactly short 😉
I do think this is a really interesting idea, and it’s something I’d like to do at some point. However, when I spent some time considering why I wasn’t participating this time, I realized it’s incredibly overwhelming to try to plan something like this for myself. Since you have some experience under your belt now, would you consider creating a kind of CCC planning guide to help people set down their own rules and figure out how to handle preparations and such? I think that would be awesome. I have some ideas/questions, should you want to meet and talk about them when you’re done with the challenge. 🙂
I also think a weekend would be easier to do than a week. (And yes, I know I could just do it over my own weekend, but I like the community participation piece, even if I’m not actually communicating with anyone during the challenge!)
Anyway. I hope you are having a ball, getting a ton done, and I can’t wait to hear what you accomplish!
What?! That was totally short (for me at least)! 🙂
You’re spot on about how difficult this could be to plan for some people. Depending on your work flexibility, family situation, physical or medical ailments, and any crazy number of variables, this could be a non-starter for a lot of folks. I love the suggestion about creating a planning guide though. I already “planned” to do this but haven’t had the time yet. The next time an “officially sanctioned” one roles around I’ll have that ready. Plus I’ll cover getting buy-in from the important people who could be impacted by it.
Just remember you don’t have to do this for 72 hours or 120 hours. 12 is a perfectly fine start and if you want to expand from there, beautiful. If not, cool.
I’ll definitely do my best to join in for at least a part of the next one. A guide would be awesome — looking forward to it!
Good luck, Joel! Looking forward to hearing how it went for you and others. Be careful!
Hey Bobbi,
I assume your “Be careful” comment was in reference to 120 hours of fasting. I’ll be covering this more in the recap but I broke down after about 48 hours and had a meal. I was pretty disappointed by it but it needed to happen. Otherwise, I would have had to scrap everything else for the remaining 72 hours.
It’s weird how the body reacts differently based on factors you can’t control or understand. Fasting for 72 hours last time was so easy! And this time I had to break the fast 48 hours in. Thankfully, I resumed it and all in all, it was a minor speed bump on a great ride!
Joel,
I’m looking forward to reading how your challenge goes and being inspired by your results!
I’m so excited for you Joel! I think it’s powerful how you’ve inspired others to take part in the challenge as well! Can’t wait to read/hear about what you get into.
Hi Joel,
Are your reading blog comments? I begin my creative challenge on Wednesday the 10th at 7 a.m. (I am working my day job until then) and will continue to create until Friday 7 p.m. My guidelines are no media, no television, no phone, no computer. But I can listen all the music I want, read books. My goals are to be immersed in my creativity without distraction. I plan to paint, paint and then paint. Work on my book, and take some photographs. At the end of this challenge I will be sure to tell you all about the it…wish me luck! Good luck to you and hope you find deeper wells of creativity.
Hey Jane,
I just finished my challenge and I wasn’t reading comments during it. So I’m just seeing this now.
It doesn’t do you much good now, but I would have wished you all the luck I could have. I’m stoked to see what you created (I’m sure there will be pictures) and read all about it!
Hope it is going well Joel. At first I thought you were crazy but little by little I envied you. I could never stay up all night but I would like three days alone with no internet and no family to write, I’m sure I would achieve so much. One of these days I’ll get the opportunity! Can’t wait to see what you have created !
Hey Ciara,
I like to think I’m the constructive kind of crazy. Crazy enough to do things I shouldn’t, but practical enough to get something useful out of all the craziness I subject myself to (and let others hoist on me). I hope I didn’t create the idea I was staying up all night through the challenge though. Some people might want to try that, but I need my sleep to be something other than a useless zombie. 37 of my 120 hours were spend unconscious in the comfort of my bed.
I know that with your kids and lifestyle, pulling off your own challenge wouldn’t be easy. But there’s other ways to increase our creative output and reduce our consumption. You’ve taught me some of them actually!
Can’t wait to see how this goes. So interesting to me to think about the concept of literally creating in a void. For me, I’m not sure it would be successful… maybe it would be more successful than I could imagine. Either way… wishing you a wonderful week (and not starving) and can’t wait to hear the results soon!
Hi Sarah,
I’m still alive! Woo hoo!
Look for my results and the results of other nifty folks in a recap next week. If you want to try this yourself sometime, liberally tweak the framework and come up with something uniquely you. If you want some tips for pulling this off and actually enjoying it, you know how to get a hold of me.
I am a little cofunsed about the contest rules, Can you use food you already purchased, things you already have? Like, spices or canned goods? Things from your stockpile? On the receipt is it only food groceries or does soap, toilet paper, etc. count also?
Hi Eva,
You get to define your own rules. And I definitely encourage people to keep up with personal hygiene during their challenge, including showering, brushing their teeth, using toilet paper, etc.
So if you decide not to fast, you can use what’s already in the house or new food you bring into the house during your challenge. I hope that helps but let me know if I didn’t answer your core question. I was a little confused by your comment.
I hope the challenge is going well, Joel! Can’t wait to see what you create. =) I’ve decided not to join you this run, but I may adapt it a bit and do my own version next weekend.
The timing on when this is done, how long it lasts, and the “do’s” and “don’ts” aren’t that important. I’m just happy you’re going to customize this and give it a go Kaylee! Please let me know how this turned out and ways I could help make a second one even better.
Wow, can’t believe you pulled this off once again! And with a toddler in the house too. You inspire me Joel, I mean that. Can’t wait to read all your creative results.
This past week was very interesting…
In terms of the original objective of creating, it was a total failure. I was unable to fast for more than 30 hours, and after 2 days there was a consumption rebound effect (Wednesday & Thursday were much less productive than average).
I knew I was too plugged in. I just didn’t realize how badly.
On the other hand, the self-knowledge I’ve gained from this experience inspired a number of smaller (hopefully long-term) changes. Thanks again for the inspiration!
Which one should I lead with Amit?
Bummer! Or:
Cool!
I guess that’s the upside and downside of getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. What you originally intended to get out of it doesn’t always happen. But often, you’re left with something else insightful or unexpected.
I’d love to hear in more depth about your struggles and this new self-knowledge.