The Best Rituals to Jumpstart Your Creativity

Begin with meditation every morning

Want a fast track to accessing your creativity?

Start your day off right. Before you pick up your pen, laptop, or phone keyboard, you can best prepare for writing with some simple rituals.

There are plenty of techniques to greet your inner artist. It’s not always with words. Creativity flows where it’s needed when we open the gate. Sometimes the simplest activities bring the most profound results.

How do we open ourselves up to our infinite well of creativity?

Early to bed, early to rise

Sleep is essential to our well-being. When we log off the internet and give our brains a rest an hour or more before bedtime, our bodies have a chance to reset and refresh.

If you’re not suited to getting up early, take advantage of your night-owl tendencies and do your work then. Be sure to sleep as long as your body needs. It’ll depend on your age and stage in life and your natural inclinations.

I act like a night-owl, but I’m healthier and more productive earlier in the day. I’m in the process of restoring balance with an earlier bedtime. I’ve been scrolling social media every night after my kids go to bed until 11–11:30 pm. It hasn’t worked for me. My dreams reflect the information overload from the night before. Sometimes they’re repetitive recounts of my Facebook activity.

When I get away from my phone screen and read a book or do something else, I can fall asleep faster. My dreams are rich and vivid. I recall them more often, and they offer deep insight. I awake to feel well-rested and ready to begin a new day. I don’t struggle to get out of bed.

With adequate sleep, you’ll be more productive. You may even start your day at 5:30 am or earlier. I considered how much good writing could come of that. I’ll add a few more hours to my day.

If you’re a single parent like me, you’ll experience the joy and pleasure of waking before your kids (hopefully). There’s nothing better than to have an hour or more of solitude. And if you have a partner, think of all the snuggle time you’ll have before your kiddos need you.

Earlier bedtime and early rising increase my happiness and creativity. Instead of groggily forcing myself to get up, I willingly face the day, grateful for the ray of sunshine coming through my window. It’s that impactful for me.

Meditation

Meditating can be 3 minutes or an hour or more. It depends on your needs. But you can go deep in one minute of deep breathing. Paying close attention to inhaling and exhaling or repeating a specific mantra help you stay in present-moment awareness.

Meditation centers and grounds the mind, opening up a portal of insight. As creators, we need only sit for a moment to discover an endless supply of material. Our ideas can stem from unearthed feelings about a personal situation, enlightened thoughts on culture, relationships, environmental or social issues.

Everything you’ve forgotten or ignored when you were busy with life will rise to the surface. Your unconsciousness will become conscious. It’s where you can find your best writing ideas.

I started today with a guided meditation as a part of 21 Days of Abundance with Deepak Chopra. My friend is leading us through the process in a Facebook group.

I’ve recently copied the daily task and downloaded the meditation in my notes the night before or when I wake. Then I’m not tempted to slide down the rabbit scroll hole on Facebook. I’m present and available. I grab my dedicated spiral notebook and gel pens in different colors, write the centering thought and mantra on the page, and sit with Deepak. His voice is soothing and has a calming effect. Listening to him for 15 minutes is a perfect way to start the day.

Nourish your body

Give your body the signal you’re ready to begin your day. Take a shower, eat a healthy breakfast, do some stretches.

After meditating, I prepare breakfast for myself and my kids. I feel my best when I eat a substantial meal early in the day. Then I write before taking our daily hike.

Nurturing our bodies can take different forms. Some of us do yoga upon awakening (another great way to meditate), others prefer intermittent fasting, not eating until later in the day. Whatever it looks like, pay attention to your body’s needs before you write.

I’ve heard great success from some of you who write upon awakening. If I weren’t starving, I’d do the same. Freewriting first thing has a similar meditative effect.

Exercise

Moving our bodies clears the cobwebs in our minds. We shake loose any extraneous stuff and make space for our creativity. Exercise releases endorphins and dopamine, giving us the energy to take on the day with ease and joy.

I’ve spoken of the magic of nature many times before. Hiking barefoot in our local foothills of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is my favorite part of the day. Walking barefoot centered and grounds my body to the earth and all of creation. To convene with nature is to connect with our higher source. When we make a conscious intention to connect with the outdoors, our day becomes one big meditation. It’s the source of inspiration, brings balance to our body, mind, and spirit.

Free write

You can bypass writer’s block by free writing. Write without purpose or agenda. The intention is to channel your thoughts into words on the paper. You can write anything you want, in any format. Get wild and silly. Write the same words over and over. You’re getting loose and freeing your mind to create the good stuff.

When we free write, ideas can rush forth with little effort. We’re inspired. We have previously untapped material. We’ve opened the creative gates.

When my kids settle in to play, I do a free write. Sometimes it turns into a story, like this one. Other times, it’s a free association writing exercise that often leads to an article idea.

Commit to writing, editing, and publishing

Many of us work from home right now, and most of us are freelance writers. We need self-discipline and dedication to create our best work and make money from it. Routine is important, so creating a schedule and sticking with it contributes to our success.

Make a commitment and stay with it as best you can. Speaking from the single parent perspective during a pandemic, I commit to whatever time I can scrounge. Sometimes it means grabbing 30 minutes here and there. Other days, I get a glorious two hour, interrupted writing session.

Admittedly, the last few weeks I’ve flailed. I went to bed at 11 pm and awoke at 8 am. By the time I finished breakfast and meditation, and maybe a shower, it was 10–11 am. When I had errands, like grocery shopping or car maintenance, I didn’t work until 3 pm. I need to commit to early mornings, or I won’t finish anything.

Committing to a routine keeps the creativity flowing. The more we practice, the better it gets. You don’t have to publish every day, but writing every day ensures momentum.

When inspiration strikes, write NOW

There are moments of inspiration that you won’t want to ignore. Even if you stray from your regularly scheduled programming, do it. Write when your spirit moves you. Keep paper and pen nearby for these occasions. Of course, we know showers bring out these moments like nothing else.

It’s great to have rituals and routines, but we’re creative beings. We naturally create. Let nature be your guide. You might stay up later that night, or stop what you’re doing to write or type furiously for a few minutes (or an hour).

Take breaks

As much as you might feel the urge to work until your eyes blur, it’s not healthy or productive.

My writer friend Christina M. Ward asserts in her recent article, This ‘Writers Working All Weekend’ Thing, “Without taking adequate breaks from work, employee productivity, mental well-being and overall work performance begin to suffer.”

Creativity can’t flow if we wear ourselves out. It’s vital to stay in balance. Our health and well-being depend on it. And when we’re healthy, we honor our time to rest.

Spend time doing what you enjoy with people you love, without social media or work projects. Your work will be there when you return. And you’ll be more productive than ever. You probably got new ideas while you were out there living your life.

Final thoughts

Small, daily rituals and routines make for big creative surges. When we prepare our mind, body, and spirit, the floodgates open to countless opportunities to write with ease and grace.

Self-care, exercise, and meditation play a role in our writing performance. If we neglect ourselves, our writing suffers. Make sure you take breaks and spend time with family. Get out in nature and relax. Then show us what you’ve got. I know it’ll be fabulous.

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