Creative Thinking: Tip 6 - Routines

“If you want to develop your creativity, establish regular work habits. Allow time for the incubation of ideas, and adhere to your individual rhythm. Violations of this rhythm can retard your creative efficiency.” - Eugene Raudsepp

Routines are followed by just about everyone in this world. They may be subtle, but they’re there. It may be as small as fixing that cup of coffee in the mornings, showering at certain times, going to bed at certain times, or writing at certain times. Some of these become so ingrained in us, that they go from a routine, to a habit. It becomes less work, and just something that you do all the time.

Have you ever wondered why the good writers always have a writing routine? Why they wake up to the call of the rooster, and pound out 1000 words, maybe even before breakfast? It’s because they’ve conditioned themselves, during that certain time, to be at the peak of their performance. Their brains catch onto this rhythm, just like yours can. It'll understand the time you’ve set aside as “work” time. It won't sit there, waiting for inspiration, but will go and actively pursue it.

Your creative thinking can be assisted greatly by doing just that, creating a routine. My routine for this blog is simple, and to the point: I come home from work, I fix a cup of coffee, I sit down with my laptop, I research, and then I write. I usually do all of this between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. I’ve been doing this everyday for the past few months, and have found that ideas (related to my current writing endeavors) are easier to come by, and my blog posting has become so much easier to accomplish. Whether the content is any good, well, that’s an entirely different story.

All of this isn’t to say that the routine, in and of itself, will accomplish your creative thinking sessions for you, and all of the time for that matter. There may be times that this routine won’t help you very much. The important thing is that the routine allows you to schedule a time to become more creative. In other words, you’re freeing your mind, and stimulating it with this habitual act. You’re pushing aside all of the other duties and problems you face in your life, all of the distractions, and allowing that time to be filled with ideas, creative writing, brainstorming, and so on.

I bet some of you out there can probably agree with this, can’t you?  How many of you writers out there actually have a routine that you follow religiously? Do you find that it helps you, or hinders you?

Comments

[1ConfusedWriter]

Jill,

I can only imagine! I do have to thank my lucky stars for being a bachelor. There are pros/cons to any kind of lifestyle. If anything, the absence of any real "serious" responsibilities gives me a little TOO MUCH time on my hands sometimes. This is why I try only to stick with my scheduled writing routines. If I try to write during all of that extra time as well, then I find myself producing some real fine pieces of (fill in the blank).

Thanks for stopping by!

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Nuthatch,

I can definitely agree with your last point: blogging to improve your writing habits. One downfall is that you are "blogging" and not focusing on the writing you want to write, however, I seem to manage another routine (which is late at night..around 11PM) where I write for myself. This is fine by me as I still need as much practice (and learning) as possible. Maybe later, when I'm feeling more confident, will I expand that hour into a longer session.

Thanks for commenting!

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Anders,

Good luck with that routine! If you can keep up that 3500 word count on a regular basis, then I can only see you being successful in the future.

Take care,

Vic

[Jillian]

Ohhhh dear -- how I crave routine!

I am *supposed* to write between 1 and 4 each weekday. Problem is, I can't always make that happen. I'm homeschooling my 4 children and running the household. I may be behind on the laundry, or have an appointment, or whatever. We always do all our homeschooling in the morning, so that we all have our afternoons free for personal pursuits. Sounds lovely, yes? But alas -- life with children is too unpredictable.

One day, when I wish I were younger, I will have my mornings free. It's truly my most productive time, and I do wish I could write then...with my cuppa Starbucks close at hand...

[Nuthatch]

This is entirely true. When I began writing, I could afford to wait until the muse hit me. This made for inspired writing which was fun and, in many cases, probably better than what I can produce today. Once I began writing professionally (on top of my regular job), I had to incorporate some discipline and schedule writing time. Writing was not quite as fun at that point, especially because my most creative times are first thing in the morning, and my job requires me to be out in the field before dawn.

I started blogging in order to force myself to write more frequently and on a regular basis. It's been quite a help, but I have yet to be able to set aside a particular time devoted to writing. I know it would be a productive and liberating experience!

[Anders]

Just started one this morning -- I woke up at four, meditated for sixteen minutes to quiet my mind, and pounded out 3.3K. I have to quit now because it's time to get ready to school, but it worked for me to day and I'll try it again tomorrow.