3 Creative Morning Rituals to Come up With New Ideas
In the blog post where I defined creativity, I mentioned the most potent creativity boost: spending time alone in the morning. Yet being alone in the morning, offline, in a comfy chair, can easily lead to sleeping again. So, how do we turn that alone time into fuel for our creativity rocket? Let’s review three creative morning rituals you can practice during your recently rescued alone time to boost your creative soul.
1. The creative warm-up: make it fun!
What makes you laugh? What sparks joy in you? When was the last time you did something that gave you joy? Sometimes, I listen to jazz with my headphones on at full power while everyone sleeps. Whenever I’ve recovered from some misstep or an incredibly stressful period, I’ve done gentle stretches or a couple of yoga positions.
My advice is to do something fun that triggers positive energy before jumping into brainstorming, even if it’s just for three minutes. Read a few pages of your favorite book, write down a joyful memory, dance to your favorite song, go for a quick run.... anything! And then, the next day, aim to do a little less — that will take the pressure off starting. You don’t need to get to yesterday’s level, just a little less. And once you get the ball rolling, it’ll become easier and more manageable.
2. The creative cool-off: meditate
Okay, you have completed your fun warm-up, and your body is awake. What about your mind? Is it still worried about yesterday’s problms, or tomorrow’s fears? Meditation helps us live in the moment even in extreme circumstances, reconnect with our body and inner thoughts, and free ourselves from external pressure to conform. It will awaken your mind and help you narrow your focus on what is truly important: the present moment.
Use this time to connect with yourself genuinely. Find a comfortable position, sit upright, and breathe in and out, focusing on your breath. As we said the other day, try not to think about anything. If any thoughts appear, swipe them right as if they were notifications on your phone. If you have difficulty clearing your mind, don’t get angry at yourself; discard them. It takes practice, and you will get better at it with time.
3. The creative moment of truth: put pen to paper
Often, people get lost in complicated, restrictive mind-mapping apps and elaborate paraphernalia. Don’t.
Your ideas are enough in any shape or form. Tools are just tools. But if you have a sweet tooth for aesthetic pleasures and a beautiful notepad is vital for you, go ahead. Anything that helps you look forward to this moment. But I will ask you to do one thing: as soon as you get your new notepad, break it a little bit.
I beg your pardon?
Yes. Break it a little. Please, make a small cut, stain it a little with something (coffee, ink, deodorant, it doesn’t matter). Creativity is about colouring outside the lines, and often we’re afraid of getting it wrong or putting stupid ideas in beautiful notebooks. We wait until we find something worthy to include, so we never use them. No. First, stain it, then write a joke that you remembered, or a funny thing your kid said last week. Something that will make you smile. Something that will make opening it tomorrow so much easier. Think of it as a technique to break the ice with your creative self.
Once you have completed the 3 creative morning rituals, drink from that bottle of water you left at your creative space; you’ve earned it. See how you feel throughout the rest of the day, then repeat the next day.
You want to try more creative techniques? Check out this post where I share some journaling prompts that will take you deeper into that creative journey.
