Here’s some weird things I do to supercharge my creativity. Maybe they’re insane. Maybe they’re useful. See what works for you.
Stay up late / wake Up early
I can do administrative tasks very well when I’m well rested, but I’m never peak creative when I’m well rested and comfortable.
Creativity thrives on the extremes.
I’ve written about this before, but there’s something about the witching hours that seems to let creativity thrive.
Take a nap
This seems weird, but if I take a short nap (under 20 minutes), it somehow both feels longer and shorter than 20 minutes and also leaves me with way more creative juice than if I did nothing or took an hour long nap.
Lore has it that Thomas Edison used to do this at his desk. He would doze off, holding a ball in each hand. Then when he would fall asleep – he’d drop one, waking himself up and finding that he had jumped to the correct part of consciousness to be the most creative.
The state is called “hypnagogia” and there seems to be actual science that seems to back this up.
I might write about this more in the future.
Go for an extended run – no headphones allowed.
The best part of ultra marathons – besides the locations you can see – is the amount of alone time you get with yourself.
Most people have no idea who they are or what they think. When you’re on a run, it’s like a defragmentation process for your entire brain. You can reprocess things that you’ve never
There’s a reason they say running is cheaper than therapy.
Substances
Most of my work is fueled by an extraordinary amount of caffeine.
You can’t drink caffeine after 1pm? Skill issue.
On the other end of the spectrum, much of my late night writing is fueled by a warm magnesium drink.
There’s a reason we sell those 🙂
In addition to those, it feels like every major writer in history smoked a pipe. I don’t smoke or vape. I could consider a pipe when I’m on a rocking chair when I’m an old man.
However, I have played around with nicotine toothpicks from Zippix. There’s quite a few of studies around nicotine as nootropic. You should definitely not try these and definitely don’t pair them with a coffee for early morning writing. Terrible combination. Do not recommend. Remember kids, nicotine is addictive and you will probably turn into a meth addict.
Dissociative Writing
This is best done with a hoodie on, headphones in, and a clear desk.
I don’t know how to describe it other than sitting in front of your work and “dropping out” – you stop “thinking” and you just start doing.
I find the times that I notice that I’m doing – I often feel like a player in a VR game, where I can see my arms moving and I have a “wide angle’ view of my work, but it feels very different from day-to-day first person view.
Note: you the less distractions you have (on your computer, desk or workspace) the easier this is.
Some of my best work has come in times where I feel like I’m watching someone else write from a distant first-person view.
Does anyone else do this? I might be insane.
Workout Till Exhaustion
Workout. HARD.
Exhaust your body and your mind is freed up to think.
Brainwash Yourself
Get an instrumental only track or pick one song and put in on repeat for an hour. You’ll find it lets you drop out and just focus on the work at hand.
If you need a minimal, impossible-focused mix to help. I made something just for you (coming soon).
That’s what I do. I realize I might be insane. Anyone else?
