The one key habit to boost your creativity

Did you try the method to trigger your creative thinking and come up with new ideas that I suggested last month? Did it help? if you feel like you are still missing something or need to try another method, then this article is for you. I will go over the key habit that will help you boost your creativity and help you develop that creative edge.  

Often people dismiss creativity as the poor cousin of value creation, or as a decoration that you add on top of a valuable, serious business proposition, like simple glazing on a cake. Creat-ivity, however, is a vital part of value creat-ion! Without it, we wouldn’t be able to innovate or progress. So if you feel stuck, this key habit will help you flex your creative muscles and nourish your creative soul:

Spend time alone in the morning

Yes, alone. Yes, in the morning. Yes, time. 

One of the main definitions of creativity that you can find in current literature and research (as you can see in one of my previous post is: “the process of having original ideas that have value.” To have original ideas, you have to achieve a level of disconnection from other people’s ideas.

Isolate to focus on yourself

When I say alone, I mean truly alone, as in NO mobile phones (leave it in another room if you need to). Offline, disconnected. Just because people send you messages it doesn’t mean that you have to read and answer them right away. If you can’t help but check if what you are receiving might be urgent, then mentally redefine this time as not available. Imagine that you are as busy as being in a meeting with your most important client or investor. In the beginning it will be hard to disconnect, but soon you will find out that you will be able to clear your mind and start your day way more relaxed and focused, instead of worried or stressed. Think of it as almost like meditating, but you don’t have to be with your eyes closed, you can take time to read the newspaper, or have coffee while you read a book or listen to your favorite album. 

The best time: the morning

It’s sweet to think that there are other moments of the day you can control (unless you have kids: then the night and early morning aren’t wholly yours and predictable either). But trust me, the morning is your best option. As soon as you leave the house — or sometimes, as soon as you look at your pending messages or lost calls — your mind spirals into what other people want of you. Their ideas. Their priorities. Their agendas. Use the moment of the day after sleeping, and having been somewhat alone (either in dreams or in reality) to stay alone for a little bit longer and think about your ideas, your priorities, your agenda.

I can already hear you say: OK, Ramón. I’m here, alone, in the morning, with my coffee (we’ll talk about coffee another day). What do I do now? What if I feel depleted, somewhat sad and not creative at all? What if all I want to do is unlock my phone or laptop and start with the million pending things I have to do? 

You-time

Every result requires an investment: in this case, it’s time, your time. The morning is the perfect time to devote some minutes to yourself. Think of it as the minutes you would have snoozed the alarm button — but you didn’t, because something good was waiting for you (remember Christmas morning? Or the morning of your birthday?). This time is fun-time, it’s you-time. Once you conquer it, you won’t want to give it back. 

Well, as this is the first morning, the only thing you have to do is find your favorite spot of the house: comfy, cosy, well lit, and sit there in silence for a few minutes. 

Try not to have any idea at all.

Did it work? 

Of course not. I bet millions of things were racing through your mind. But pat yourself in the back because you’ve successfully started a habit. 

Once you have mastered granting a couple minutes for yourself in the morning, you can begin to try three creativity prompts during your you-time that will help you trigger your creativity faster: a fun warm up (it can be anything, from 5 minutes of yoga to running 10km), followed by a short meditation (it will help you with your focus and being in the present moment) and of course pen and paper (to write down anything that may come up to your mind).

Want to know more about these prompts? Check out this post where I explain each one of them in detail and give you more ideas to make the most out of your you-time in the morning.