I'm starting a short series today about the creative process. I'm breaking it down into a few posts. Today I'm going to talk about how I get into the right mindset through routine. A few things that creatives should be aware of, is what time of day they are most creative. I find myself most creative when I wake up, so I try to build my day around that time. Setting up a routine is trial and error, later you might decide that something isn't working. I believe having a routine will increase my productivity.

Set-up Time

Every morning when I get up, I try to take care of all my chores before the coffee finishes brewing. Tending to the dog, taking the trash out, empty the dishwasher, anything I can do in 5 minutes. Part of this time is used to make sure my work space is ready, making sure everything I need is there. I even use certain mugs depending on my mood or what I want to accomplish. Which I admit is strange, but we all have our rituals. Setting a time limit for all of these chores really helps me, because I do not want to get carried away and not use my creative time effectively. 

Coffee Mugs of Choice. I have a lot more than this.

Media

I spend my morning drinking coffee and being creative while playing a podcast, not music. While in college, I listened to so much music while I worked. But the truth is, people can multitask. Even if I'm not really listening closely while I work, there is always something that sticks out. I won't realize I'm even listening until someone makes a joke and I laugh. I think music is good when you've got a mindset you do not want to disturb. When my husband does homework while I'm working, he finds podcasts distracting, we play video game music. It's something he did all through his undergrad. My favorite is the music from the game Fez. (Which is a great game, too. One of my all-time favorites.) When that gets old, we opt for jazz. Try out new genres on iTunes Radio, you never know what you might find.

Start Off Simple

My creative activities in the morning are not projects I consider to be a big-deal. The importance of a project can keep me from ever starting it because I never feel ready to start. By starting with smaller projects, I prepare myself for larger tasks later in the day. So I keep my morning projects simple. On some mornings I draw out ideas. I have 3 scrapbooking pens, (red, blue, and green) that I use to draw quilts and block ideas on graph paper. Other times I might write or do some English Paper Piecing. Its important not to skip this time when you just don't feel like it, because you will train yourself to do other things during this time.

(TIP: Avoid the internet. Pinterest and Instagram, while inspiring will steal your time away from you. Wait until after your creative time is over, the internet is not going anywhere.)

Break

I take a break when I feel ready or my set time tells me to. This is when I shower, do some house chores, tend to the dog, etc. I'm able to reflect on my best ideas and plan my afternoon.

Second Wind

This time varies for me based on what I need to do each day. Sometimes it is right after lunch, other times it has to wait until late afternoon. This is the time I spend doing the business side of my projects, figure out the logistics of how something would work, or spend it sewing. If I had a big-important-scary project, this might be the time I work on it. If I don't get to work again until after dinner, I will usually go back to the work I did in the morning and try to build onto it.

It is important to maintain a routine for a while before deciding it isn't for you. Don't let your routine inhibit you from accomplishing your goals, but structure it in a way that it sets aside time for you to do what is important to you in that moment. Sometimes my "Second Wind" time is used for reading and that is okay. The time is there for me to use it how I wish.

What things are part of your routine? Do you workout at a certain time each day? Do you have a silly ritual, like using certain coffee cups? Do you dislike routines, why? I'd love to hear all about it.