9 Things You Should Be Doing To Support Your Creativity

Creativity

Mar 11

Hi there! I’m Bernadette Fox a Productivity Strategist. I help Creatives to simply their systems and marketing. Say hi over at @thefreelancefox

It's always the last item on your list, the thing that gets pushed to the bottom of the pile, forgotten about until the very end of the day... YOU. More specifically, the key things that reinforce your creative process and your imagination. Luckily, you can easily weave a few simple things into your day to support your limitless creative brain. Here are a few ideas–and per my motto–keep this shit simple: pick only one to give some focus to each week and see how that feels.

“Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

— Leonardo Da Vinci

1 * SLEEP

Find your sweet spot (and use this free Sleep Cycle App to do so). Mine tends to be exactly 8-hours; anything less and I wake up feeling groggy, and then I don't want to do any of the following items, duh!

2 * DISCONNECT

I'll admit it... I'm fully addicted to looking at my smart phone upon waking. And I always immediately regret it. So, I've started to leave my phone in another room before I go to bed (yes, this requires that you get an alarm clock). Plus, I commit to not looking at it until I've completed #3 and #4 below. It's not been easy, but most certainly worth it, because being on my phone has literally NOTHING to do with my creativity.

3 * SPEED JOURNAL

The very start of your day should be focused on output (when your subconscious mind is fresh from all that rest!), not intake of new information. I write just one page in my journal each morning and it takes less than 5 minutes. It's an important "brain-dump" to clear my thoughts before any work begins (it's my own version of the Artist's Way Daily Pages).

4 * READ

This one sounds simple, but it's definitely not. I used to read about 50 pages a day when I rode public transit to work and it was glorious. But in the last few years, I've found myself reading nearly nothing (and no, that damn Facebook scrolling doesn't count). I now try to reserve 30 minutes a day, usually before bed (since I've left my phone in the other room!), to read something that makes me happy... that could be a juicy novel, a self-improvement book (currently it's Seth Godin's "The Icarus Deception") or even a business article that I've previously bookmarked.

5 * GET OUTSIDE

i.e. Daydream. Taking a brisk walk not only allows for the much needed fresh air, it also makes for an immediate shift to your current attitude. I like to plan this for my "slump time" of the day; that period when your energy is at it's lowest (for me, around 3pm). Even if you start your walk thinking about your to-do list, and you'll inevitably start daydreaming. And great ideas often come from time spent with your head in the clouds.

6 * TALK TO A STRANGER

Gah! I consider myself a very social person and I'm still shocked at how many days can go by without my interacting with people in the world! But the good news--opportunity is everywhere... at the bank, the grocery store, and even on customer service calls ("Really??" you say. Yes! Ask if they have a good book recommendation!), *with the safety of 6-feet distancing and a face covering of course. The simple act of making eye contact can open the door to conversation, and then you get to try different starters/greetings to spark that... "Avocados are crazy expensive right now!", or "What are you cooking?". Not everyone will open up, but when they do, there's a wealth of inspiration in people's experiences.

7 * JUST SAY NO

You've got your day mapped out, you know exactly what you need to accomplish. And of course there will be interlopers; people or projects that try to steal your time. And I don't mean they want to casually borrow or sneak a few minutes, I mean STEAL. Your most important asset is your time and you can't afford to loose even 1 minute of it. I suggest having a go-to response phrase for when things start coming at you...

My plate is full right now, but I'd be happy to consider that for next week.
I'll have to take a raincheck.
Thanks for thinking of me, but unfortunately it's not a match.

And if that's not enough, here's 99 Ways to Say No.

8 * DO NOT DISTURB

Back to that smart phone thing... do you use the "Do Not Disturb" function of your iPhone? If not, you're missing out. It's actually incredibly freeing. When I start a project (read, when I stop multi-tasking in order to dig in), I'll click that little 'moon icon' and whosh! I magically disappear from the world. And I no longer feel like something will come through that needs my immediate attention.