Stick to a Routine – That’s What Creative Minds Do!

A whole lot of my time and efforts go into writing articles and blogs, in my attempt to keep my company innovative. I understand that if I have to succeed, I will have to work on expanding my creative productivity. May be a glimpse into some of the most creative minds from history can help me learn a few tricks.

Most creative minds adopted routines and rituals that helped them come up with innovative ideas, every now and then. In my attempt to adopt one such ritual, I got up way early one summer morning…. had my coffee… sat for an hour by an open window… worked on my writing till lunchtime… took a long walk after lunch… and tried my best not to work for more than three hours at a stretch, during the entire week.

Did that help?

Well it might once I make it my routine.

Taking a peak into the rituals and routines of great writers, statesmen and philosophers can help you understand exactly where their creative thoughts came from. Let us look at a few such routines and rituals that helped these great minds keep their thoughts flowing:

A few of these may be useful; others are way weird to even try.

Benjamin Franklin used to be naked throughout his mornings…

Marcel Proust consumed croissants and opium for breakfast…

For Patricia Highsmith it was only eggs and bacon…

There have been thousands of tiny rituals that have led these great minds towards the path of greatness

Just how did they come up with new ideas?

For Steve Jobs, it was all about sitting on the toilet and dangling his feet in water…

For Yoshiro Nakamatsu, the inventor of floppy disc, it was about diving deep under water till his brain suffered from lack of oxygen. He would then use an underwater sticky pad to write down his ideas.

Waking up Early is something all of them did

Although starting the day early was something that all great minds did, the reasons differed from one person to the other.

Ben Franklin created a plan for his day by waking up early…

Schultz decided it was the best time to send across motivational emails to his employees…

Ernest Hemmingway found it easier to write by waking up at 5 a.m. everyday…

Basically waking up early helps you avoid distractions.

Habits die hard

The French Writer Honoré de Balzac would consume about 50 cups of coffee every day because of his epic caffeine addiction…

Victor Hugo, the French Author, would wake up to gunshots every day. He would take bath in ice-cold water on the roof, open to public. He made it a point to visit his barber on a daily basis.

After having a hearty breakfast, Mark Twain would lock himself in his study till 5 pm, where he would work uninterruptedly. He would read out his day’s work to his family after dinner. He skipped work on Sundays to relax with his family, daydream and read. However, smoking cigars was something he would do constantly.

Benjamin Franklin, the inventor, scientist, author and diplomat, would forego his sleep with the thought that there would be a lot of time to sleep once inside the grave.

On the contrary, there was Pablo Picasso, the Great Painter, Spanish sculptor and printmaker, who would enjoy those long moments of snoozes.

It wasn’t these habits that took these people to achieve whatever they did. They had adopted a pattern that helped them deliver, the best output. They were dedicated to their routines, come what may and this put them at the peak of creativity and productivity.

Repetition is the key to developing a routine. I haven’t still managed to perfect my routine; but I am getting there. If you want to create things that you actually care about, you will have to develop your own system of routine. Such a routine should be productive enough to help you progress in whatever you want to do.

In case you find yourself providing excuses may be it is time to experiment!

So, go ahead and stick on to a daily ritual it doesn’t matter if it seems somewhat weird.