How Routines Enable Creativity
Through a series of research, reading, discovery, I came up with a morning routine that I hold sacred. Well, sacred enough for me to get up an entire hour earlier to accommodate it.
Step #1 – Kick Start the Body
I heat up a 16 oz glass of water with lemon and Himalayan sea salt. This is not table salt, but natural unrefined salt. I’ve found that this helps to kick start my body and begin preparing it for the day. I’m not a doctor but have read about some potential health benefits that you can research for yourself.
Step #2 – Meditate
While Deepak’s guided meditations are great, I found that I needed some variation.
Here are a few options that I’ve been experimenting with:
Tara Brach
She has some great guided meditations and body scan exercises.
Here is an example of one of them:
Wim Hof
Wim’s method uses a more physically aggressive approach, but I’ve actually found it provides similar results. These exercises have also translated into various mental wins in the gym. The main premise is that the mind can control the biology of the body, and your body is capable of more than you give it credit.
Step #4 – Journaling
Wake up your brain and your creativity. It’s a muscle that needs exercise.
Stay present by being thankful.
Here are a few methods that I am enjoying:
1. Gratitude practice
Practicing gratitude every day has helped me to stay more present.
Here is an example of one of my journal entries:
Thankful for my usually annoying driver’s side rear door that never locks. I somehow put my keys in the trunk after the gym yesterday and shut it. Almost a shit show. That annoyance was actually a huge save yesterday. View things with positive potential no matter how frustrating or annoying they may seem initially.
2. Oblique strategies
I struggled with journaling at first because of the blank page syndrome. Where there is a blank page, there are expectations. I decided to write without expectations. I wrote about the first thing that came to my mind and continued until I was done.
Another trick that I’ve used to kick start the process is to take one card from the Oblique Strategies Deck (Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt) and use that random phrase as the subject of my writing.
Here is an example of one of my journal entries:
Oblique Strategies card = “A Line Has Two Sides”
On “A Line Has Two Sides” – If you think about it, a line actually has three sides. Top, bottom and side. There is always more than meets the eye with most anything. Approach problems, challenges and opportunities with this mindset. The solution will come if you give your brain time to think through it. Usually multiple independent sessions are required.
So this former night owl has embraced the glorious nature of quiet mornings. I found a way to silence my ego long enough to realize that meditation is one of the most important aspects of my day. I committed to a routine that creates a clear, focused mind and fosters creativity.
