How to get into a creative flow and be productive.

Often we find ourselves in that turmoiled circle of wanting to do lots of creative stuff and wanting to go the extra miles to achieve something but somehow get stuck feeling burned out and disorganised and constantly loosing grip of the creative flow. 

While others use mediation as a means to reach their Alpha state to get creative, which is a pretty incredible option, many of us sometimes find it hard to practice the breathing technique or find the appropriate mindset to do so. 

So if like me you don’t really grasp the whole concept of meditation and box breathing, welcome to the club and let’s dive into some alternatives to prep our minds for creativity and productivity, 

Wake Up early and Sweat

This is the golden rule that you absolutely need to follow to be more productive and creative during the day. If you take a close look at the daily routines of thriving legends over history, you’ll be surprised to know that one of the main common points that connect them is that they are early risers. 

They believe in waking up before everybody else and working on their craft while the whole world is still asleep - Always wondered how they achieve tremendous success, well now you know :) 

The second routine that connects them is massive sweating during the first hour they are up in the morning, now if that’s too much for a start you can scale it down to 20mins minimum, as long as you are sweating, you are good to go. We sure all know the plethora of physical benefits of working out, but as surprising as it might sound to some of you, working out and sweating can actually boost your mental health and capacity as well. 

Exercise, especially massive sweat-induced work-outs, stimulates something called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which encourages the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. In short, BDNF is a brain chemical that actually grows neural connections. Additionally working out also releases dopamine (the neurotransmitter of motivation) and serotonin, which makes you feel happy. And most importantly, newly found research shows that exercise activates your epigenetic, that is “exercise changes the shape and functioning of our genes, and when turned on, they express proteins that prompt physiological responses elsewhere in the body.” - The New York Times

Work in a clean environment

As a teen, I was quite a mess, my room used to be upside down, and my mother always had a hard time having me clean my mess every other weekend. But growing up and setting apart to enter the work environment, I remember someone, once telling me always to make sure you have a clean space before starting work, it soothes the soul. 

At that time, I didn’t really grasp its true essence until I’ve found myself having to get creative in my work and having to “write.” All content writers fully understand what it’s like to have a fragile flow when you need to complete a write-up. And in those moments what matters the most is to make sure the creative flow lasts the day so you can complete your task list. 

Hence making sure that the space around you is impeccably clean before getting to your desk is vital to remain focused and replenished all day long.

Find your right spot and Spend time outside, especially in the morning.

Many of us often have variegated opinions about THE perfect office; mine was like many, a white office with a large window overlooking a green scenery. I always craved for such an office and thankfully I kind of willed one into my life last year. The place was perfect, we just moved to a new place, and we had an empty room upstairs that we turned into THE dream office, with my desk right in from on the huge window overlooking the green woods. It was perfect for four months at least until I started feeling blocked and suffocated. 

 And the following months started working here and there, sometimes in my bedroom or the living it room, it felt okay, but I was never truly satisfied. However, since I’ve started working outside, my flow is just wild and incredible, being outside under my veranda overlooking the garden just feeds my souls. 

And sometimes taking a small stroll, breathing the fresh air organically make things okay, even if you are having a bad day, nature is always there to kiss your worries away.

While I’m perfectly aware that not many of you have the privilege of working from home, it is still very important to find your right spot and spend some time outside, sipping a coffee at your office’s balcony or taking a stroll somewhere quiet and peaceful, cause it really helps fuel your creativity and productivity. You cannot deliver to your best if you feel empty or suffocated while working. 

Listen to happy music.

Sometimes what I do whenever my focus is running errands or the place is quite noisy, or I’m just having a bad time, but I need to deliver creatively, I put on some happy music just to activate my happy genes and get into the mood. Cause being happy fuels my creativity, and it makes me enjoy absolutely every task of the day, even the lame complex ones. My go-to happy music is Jazz, anytime, anywhere :)

The most important to take from the about routines is that; except for the two first key points, the remaining tips are my personal routines which might not necessarily adapt to your lifestyle, comfort or whatever. The most crucial point to focus on is that every single being has its specific versions of getting cosy and comfortable. The points laid out in my write up is a guide about how I have evaluated my needs and accommodate my environment to fuel my inner creativity. For these routines to work for you, you just need to find yours, understand how your brain functions and what it needs and then go about providing for a sane and healthy environment for your brain to do its magic. 

If you've liked my routine to staying focus, please like this article and comment your routine to staying focus and being creative so that others can inspire themselves too.