The daily rituals of famous creative minds.

Unleash your inner creative genius! Discover the daily rituals of 14 legendary creative minds that fuelled their success. ??

I have been researching what they do, why, and how, as well as the impact on enhancing their creativity and potentially ours.

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Ludwig van Beethoven (Art):

Routine: Daily walks and creative breaks

What: Beethoven incorporated long walks into his daily routine and took frequent breaks during his composing sessions.

Why: These breaks allowed him to clear his mind, refocus, and find new inspiration.

How: By stepping away from his work periodically, he refreshed his perspective and often returned with new ideas and insights.

His routine highlights the significance of taking breaks and incorporating physical activity to maintain creativity and prevent mental stagnation. Although we may not need to have the same level of creative constant flow as Beethoven, even he had to constantly stop, refresh and re-start.?There is hope for us all….read on.

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Elon Musk (Business) and Benjamin Franklin (Business & Art):

Routine: Strict time management and "time boxing"

What: Elon divides his day into 5-minute increments, carefully planning each task and allocating specific time slots for them. Franklin meticulously planned his daily routine, including time for work, learning, reflection, and leisure

Why: This method helps them stay focused and maintain productivity through the day.

How: Elon - By dividing his day into manageable blocks, he is able to dedicate time to both Tesla and SpaceX, while still leaving time for family, exercise, and sleep. Franklin -By allocating specific time for different activities, he was able to maintain a well-rounded and fulfilling life.

This approach allows them to concentrate on individual tasks and switch between them seamlessly, maintaining high productivity and creative output. They both must be great a compartmentalising their thinking to pick up and put down things, so the last task doesn’t impact the next one.

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Oprah Winfrey (Business):

Routine: Daily meditation and gratitude practice

What: She starts her day with a 20-minute meditation session followed by listing things she's grateful for in her journal.

Why: This practice will help her stay grounded, focused, and appreciative of her achievements. It helps maintain a connection to the present, here and now.

How: Meditation and gratitude help you maintain a positive mindset and cultivate the mental space necessary for creative thinking.

By incorporating mindfulness and journaling into her daily routine, Oprah nurtures her creative spirit and emotional well-being. Being calm in a busy frenetic world would help her reflect, see more clearly, and not get swept along by events

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Richard Branson (Business):

Routine: Early morning exercise

What: He wakes up at 5:45 am and starts his day with a workout, such as swimming, kite surfing, or tennis.

Why: Exercise helps him stay energized and productive throughout the day.

How: Physical activity not only improves physical health but also boosts emotional and mental well-being, leading to increased creativity.

His commitment to exercise demonstrates the powerful connection between physical and emotional/mental health all of which fuel creative thinking. Creativity is energy intensive so be exercising early means you are fully topped up for the day ahead.

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Arianna Huffington (Business):

Routine: Technology-free bedtime ritual

What: Arianna ensures the last 30 minutes before sleep is tech-free and includes reading, journaling, or meditation.

Why: This practice helps her wind down and disconnect from the digital world, ensuring a restful night's sleep. As well as mentally closing off the day to enable better sleep.

How: By creating a calm and relaxed atmosphere before bed, she is better able to replenish her energy for the following day.

Her routine highlights the importance of rest and relaxation in maintaining creativity and avoiding burnout. Energise in the morning or relax to enable a restorative sleep, both help creativity.

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Bill Gates (Business):

Routine: Reading before bed

What: Gates spends an hour reading before sleep, exploring a wide range of topics unrelated to his work.

Why: Reading expands his knowledge, stimulates his imagination, and allows him to unwind after a busy day. A broad knowledge base is the foundation stone for creativity.

How: Diversifying his intellectual input sparks new ideas and fosters creative problem-solving.

His habit of reading shows the importance of continually feeding the mind with fresh ideas and perspectives.?Go wide.?The more information you have available the more options you have to link different things together and create new creative connections

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Pablo Picasso (Art):

Routine: Irregular sleep schedule

What: Picasso often worked late into the night and took naps during the day to maintain his creative flow.

Why: This unconventional schedule allowed him to work when inspiration struck.

How: By disregarding societal norms, he prioritized his creative process above all else.

His routine underlines the importance of finding a schedule that works for you and promotes creative freedom.?I like the idea of this but as an employee of an organisation would be hard to do.?Using the Elon Musk structured approach you could build in creative slots so that when a creative spark ignites you have the time to capture it.

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Frida Kahlo (Art):

Routine: Connecting with nature

What: Frida often painted in her garden, surrounded by plants and animals.

Why: This natural environment inspired her art and provided a peaceful space for reflection and creativity.

How: By immersing herself in nature, she cultivated a sense of tranquility and connectedness, which positively influenced her artistic expression.

Her routine shows the powerful impact of nature on creativity and the importance of finding environments that foster inspiration. Going for a walk, running or cycling all get you out and about in the open and help make you available for inspiration

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Maya Angelou (Art):

Routine: Maintaining a dedicated writing space

What: Angelou rented a hotel room to use solely as her writing space, working there daily from 7 am to 2 pm.

Why: This separate space allowed her to focus entirely on her art without distractions.

How: By dedicating a specific location to her writing, she nurtured a disciplined and consistent creative process.

Her routine shows the importance of creating a focused, distraction-free environment to enhance creative output. This is the opposite of Frida finding inspiration through nature and perfectly shows you must find what works for you when and where.?This will change through time and so perhaps mix it up.?If you are easily distracted, then book a meeting room when you have to do that report.

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J.K. Rowling (Art):

Routine: Writing in cafes

What: Rowling often wrote in local cafes, where the background noise and bustling atmosphere fuelled her creativity.

Why: The ambient noise and movement helped her focus and provided an environment conducive to her writing process.

How: By finding a setting that aligned with her creative needs, she was able to fully immerse herself in her work.

Her routine highlights the importance of identifying the right environment to stimulate and support one's creative process. This is different from both Frida and Maya getting an energy from the buzz around you works for some.?When you worked in a busy Construction site office I can relate to this one.

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Georgia O'Keeffe (Art):

Routine: Solitude and immersion in her work

What: O'Keeffe spent significant periods of time in solitude, focusing intently on her art.

Why: Solitude provided her with the space and mental clarity needed to fully engage with her creative process.

How: By isolating herself from external distractions, she could explore her artistic vision without interference.

O'Keeffe's routine underscores the power of solitude in fostering deep creativity and maintaining a strong connection with one's artistic voice.

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Thomas Edison (Business & Art):

Routine: Power naps

What: Edison was known to take short naps throughout the day to recharge his energy and boost his creativity.

Why: Power naps helped him maintain high levels of productivity and provided moments of restorative rest.

How: By taking brief breaks to recharge, he was able to work for extended periods without succumbing to mental fatigue.

His routine demonstrates the value of incorporating rest into daily life to sustain creativity and productivity.?Power naps are great, but you have got to be brave to do them especially when you work for an organisation – this probably pushes the boundaries of most businesses ‘diversity’ policies. Speak to HR first!

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Lastly, no list is complete without….

Steve Jobs (Business):

Routine: Simplifying wardrobe choices

What: Steve Jobs was known for his signature black top, jeans, and sneakers.

Why: By reducing the number of decisions made, he could focus his energy on more important tasks and decisions.

How: Simplifying his wardrobe allowed him to streamline his morning routine and maintain mental clarity throughout the day.

His routine demonstrates the power of simplification in daily life to preserve mental energy for creative thinking. Reducing your mental noise of any kind is usually good. As they say - Every little helps!

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The routines of these famous creative individuals demonstrate that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to powering creativity. The key to success is to find what works best for you. Whether it's rigid or loose time management, exercise or rest, busy places or solitude, find out what supports your unique creative process. ?

Some you may be able to bring into your life easily, others might be enabled by Agile working, but some you may need to discuss in your next 121 with your Line Manager!

CTA: Inspired by these famous creative individuals? Choose one of their routines to implement in your own life and start your journey towards greater creativity. Perhaps even share which one you are going to try or one you already use. ?