How do I find time for creative pursuits when my schedule feels completely packed?

Here's what Nasreddin Hodja understood that many of us forget: creativity doesn't require a cleared calendar. It requires permission—and often, a shift in how you see the time you already have. Start small. Not "I'll dedicate Sundays to art." Start with fifteen minutes. A sketch while coffee brews. A sentence written in the margins of your day. The Hodja's best insights came not from grand retreats, but from noticing the absurd and humorous in ordinary moments—which costs nothing but attention. The real jam isn't scarcity of time; it's competing values. You do have time for what matters most. If creativity keeps losing to scrolling or obligation, ask yourself: what would change if I treated play as necessary as sleep? Not selfish. Necessary. One practical move: identify your "found time." The commute. The waiting room. The ten minutes before bed. One of those becomes your creative container this week. Not instead of your life—woven into it. The examined joyful life isn't compartmentalized. It's lived in the gaps, too.