You don’t have to be an artist to incorporate creative habits into your daily routine. According to health experts, giving yourself creative breaks during the day helps to strengthen your immune system, enhance your mood and improve memory function.
The types of creative habits can vary according to the individual. These are MY top five outlets that help to get my brain in a creative space and the methods I use to develop them as regular habits:
- Take a walk
Living in a region where we have cold weather, when the sun is out and the temperature is at a bearable level, I get dressed in my walking attire in the morning. This helps to anticipate going for a walk later in the day and I’ll already be ready to go. Once out in the fresh air, I’ll stretch my muscles and take a deep inhaling breath. I like to watch for anything that might be different from the last walk. Occasionally, I’ll even stop and take a photo with my phone of a butterfly or the serenity of the path ahead.
- Daily writing
In order for this to become a habit, I make sure my go-to tools are readily available every morning. Making sure my notebook and writing utensils are stored in the same place to avoid searching for them. Currently, my writing consists of nonstop writing one whole page of material in a spiral bound notebook. Typically, this translates to approximately 20 minutes of my time. It is a free writing exercise with no expectations and no guidelines. I have found that my words flow out to the page easily when I don’t have to worry about punctuation.
- Visit a local coffee shop
I keep a list on hand of coffee shops in my city that I want to explore. I schedule client meetings at a place I’ve not yet been. If my meetings are elsewhere, I check the route back to my office for any new possibilities. Often, I’ll look for printed stickers advertising the coffee shop and collect them for an additional emotional connection to the creative activity.
- Listen to music
Segmenting my day into separate music categories keeps my concentration fresh. I listen to a local radio station in the morning and switch to my personal playlists in the afternoon. Several studies have been conducted regarding the correlation between music and its effects. Although the subject has been fiercely debated, the effects are different for everyone. Personally, my mood lifts along with my productivity as I inevitably begin to work at matching the rhythmic patterns of the music. My music taste is unique and diverse and therefore, I don’t have specific playlists for creativity, just whatever suits the mood.
- Bake or cook something new
Forming a habit that allows for experimenting, organizing ingredients, and stimulating taste buds is an irresistible combination. I have found inspiration for recipes from numerous locations. I will gladly binge a cooking show on Netflix as well as conduct a search on social media and scour blogs for local chefs. I’m currently enjoying working through the recipes listed on Lauren Lane Culinarian’s website.
How much creativity does it take to reap the benefits? The amount of time it takes to turn an activity into a habit has been debated many times over. Each of the creative outlets listed have a sensory element to them. An activity becomes a habit when noticeable enjoyment is experienced.
Try coming up with your own activities that activate your senses. Be aware of moods and emotions during the activity being conducted. This is an important function which contributes to the development of your creative habit.
Tom Beck, author of A List of Simple Daily Habits to Boost Your Creativity, beautifully articulates the use of creativity on a daily basis, “…if we work on developing our feeling and intuitive sides, we can increase our creative output.”
Creative activity is a proven recipe for success. Once your creative habit is established, you may notice increased levels of productivity in the areas of professional advancement, and contentment in personal life. Tapping into one’s own natural creativity will have significant and long lasting effects. Launch your creative journey today and watch the sparks fly!
By: Shauna Clark