Hacks For Maximizing Your Creativity In The Morning

If you’re one of those people who absolutely loathe mornings but is looking for new ways to kick-start your creative abilities-  there is some good news. Scientific research suggests that our most optimal time for creativity is the exact opposite of when we think it. Night owls are more creative in the morning and early raiser have greater insight at night. Here are some great techniques to boost your creativity in the morning.

Writing by Hand

One of the most popular methods to kick-start creative thinking is a technique by Julia Cameron, outlined in her book The Artist’s Way and is called Morning Pages. This technique has proven popular with all kinds of creative mind from entrepreneurs to artists. The technique is simple – you write three pages of unfiltered thoughts every morning just after waking up. These pages have to be hand-written.

This method may sound too simple to work, but the internet is littered with testimonials about the effectiveness of this routine. They say that it allows to them to connect to a wider area of thinking and allows them to access more creative ideas throughout the day.  Varying reasons and explanations are attached to the reason why the technique works such as the mind being more open after sleep, that there is more pre-frontal activity in the morning or quite simply that it leaves you feeling more positive for the day as you’ve cleared your thoughts.

There is also a variation on the technique called micro-journaling where you list the date at the top of the page, followed by the first ten random ideas you have, before finishing with what you are most grateful for.

Exercise in Nature

Going for an early morning jog in the great outdoors could provide your creative with a healthy boost. Neuroscientist David Strayer has conducted research that says being in a natural environment like a city park or a green space for 25 minutes a day can boost your performance on a creativity test. The theory is that it gives your prefrontal cortex a chance to rest and be more efficient for when you get back to the creative grind.

Exercise has also been linked to increasing creative thought with composers, writer and artist all testifying that exercise has let them have flashes of inspiration. The linked between exercise and creativity stretches back as far as Thoreau who said, ‘the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow.’ So, by exercising outside in a natural environment you’ll maximize the flow of your creative juices.

Take a Shower

There is just something about taking a shower that gets my creativity flowing. And it is not just me, as a scientific study has been conducted on why our best ideas come in the shower. It turns out that a shower provides three overlapping circumstances that help boost creativity, a warm shower triggers dopamine release, is a relaxing environment where we turn inwards and make more insightful connections as well as distracting us so our sub-conscious can work on problems creatively.

Not all creatives think a warm shower is the best start to the day, opting for a cold shower. The thought is enduring something hard like a cold shower in the morning prepares you for hard tasks during the day giving your willpower a boost. You’re more likely to push through blocks through sheer force of will.

Wrap up

Establishing a routine like this could boost your creativity leaps and bounds, but the most important thing is finding a routine that works for you. Do you have a kick-ass morning ritual you want to share?