Plan your flow
My best creative time is early in the morning, before coffee. Again, before coffee. It’s when my mind is emptied through the night and not quite woken up with coffee. Before news even, before Twitter, Facebook, before anything from the outside world that requires our attention and brain focus. When we expose our senses to something else, we are already under that influence and our mind fills up with data, that obstructs our creativity.
My second best creative time is, of course, moments before the deadline. As Douglas Adams puts it:
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.
For a group creativity, in my experiences, afternoon meetings are best, those siesta like even, or after official work. Relaxation really helps unleash creative juices.
Productivity
My most productive time is morning till noon. After coffee, of course, and before lunch.
I try to focus most of my important work in these mornings before noon.
I focus my afternoons on learning, connecting and, very important for busy schedule, relaxing and having a bit of fun. Extended siestas sometimes, going for a long meal with no pressing time schedule.
Bottom line
It’s important to know your biorhythm, your group dynamics, your up and your down times. To know when you can create something new and when you’re best at repetitive tasks. When the routine works best and when you’re best at being free to explore.
It’s not just about planning your activities well. It’s about planning them well in accordance to your optimum flow.
This post is part 8. of my 100 Days of Writing Challenge.
