Do you have a specific time of day when you feel you’re at your creative peak? Is there a place you go to get a quick surge of creativity? Or, is it an activity you do that helps you put your creative thinking cap on?
I read that studies have shown; people are typically at their most creative in the late evening hours and at their least creative late afternoon/early evening. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that my best ideas come to either while I’m in the shower (morning, afternoon, or evening), while I’m on a road trip, or when I’m half asleep. It seem ironic to me that in all three cases I am, more often than not, unable to jot down my thoughts… unless I’m a rider not a driver! I’m an author… I can’t let my most creative moments pass me by!
The thing is, I don’t really believe that this is something a “study” can tell us. Everyone is different. I’m typically a morning person, while my husband is typically a night owl. I say typically because life… jobs… kids… they often dictate what type of lifestyle we have to adjust to, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it. I do believe however, that there are certain times of the day when we feel the most creative and other times when creativity seems impossible. I just believe the ‘creative zone’ happens at different times for everyone.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter when or where you feel you’re at your most creative. What matters is that you know when/where that is ,so you can use it to your advantage. Below I’ve listed a few tips on how you can figure out what your most creative times of the day are, where you’re most creative, and what activities spark your most creative thoughts/ideas.
TAKE NOTE:
Keep a “creativity log” to track your tasks. When tracking project progress, you want to jot down when the project started, when/where you worked on it, and when you finished. Long periods of time spent working on one task is typically a sign that you were focused and in a creative zone. However, taking a long time to complete a task because you are working on it sporadically may indicate you were distracted, un-focused, and not in a creative time/space. Tracking tasks from week to week will allow you to determine your most creative times/locations each day and which days you tend to be the most productive.
BE FLEXIBLE AND SCHEDULE YOUR TIME WISELY:
In order to use your creative time the most productively, you may want to consider juggling your schedule a bit. Whether it’s at work or home, make sure you are scheduling fun, creative tasks during the hours you feel your most alert and focused. Use this time to write, create, or work – if that’s what you’re passionate about. Just make sure you are spending your most creative time of day on creative tasks.
PLAN AHEAD:
Once you know when your creativity is most likely to sneak up on you – like me in the shower or on a nice long road trip – you can start to plan for it. For me, I always have a pen and notebook with me… yes, even in the bathroom. That way, if inspiration hits me, I can jot down my thoughts as soon as I jump out of the shower. Whenever it is that creativity seems to be at its peak for you, you need to be prepared. So, think about how you can plan for that next inspiring moment.
Nina Soden 