How systems help to be more creative

I believe that creativity is something unique, given to us as human beings. I believe that everyone is creative and called to be creative. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everyone is called to be ‘a creative’, like the role we know today. Being creative requires skills and craftsmanship in finding solutions for complex challenges.

What I mean is that we all face challenges big or small, which require a creative solution. Whether you work in construction, you are the CEO of a multinational company or a full-time dad; creativity is something that is required every day.

Like making fire, creativity needs air to breathe, a place to burn, certain materials to get it fueled and most important; time to grow. In this modern time, we need to have these conditions in place to be able to reach our full potential as creative people. I call these conditions: a system.

Definition: A system is a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done.

I believe that for us to be able to be creative and to come up with better solutions, we need to have systems in place. Let me explain.

When your system gets messed up

On the 19th of February 2018, my son Lukas was born. As parents, we had been looking forward to this moment for more than 9 months. It was all we could talk about. Of course, we prepared and bought a lot of stuff for receiving such a big, tiny miracle. A crib, a dresser, lots of clothes, blankets, bottles and so on. The entire house was full of new things.

When Lukas was around 7 months old, I felt that something was off. I felt physically limited in my own house. To tell you the truth, I was a bit jealous at the boy. First of all, he took a lot of space in the house (and, of course, got a lot of attention from my wife). What’s more, he took almost all of my free time. Time to do the stuff I wanted to do, like reading, making music, browsing and watching the things I was interested in at that moment.

Look, I’m not complaining. It was our choice to have kids and words cannot express how much I love him. But having a baby messes up your system and priorities big time. And no one can prepare you for that. At that moment I knew I had to rediscover my own space and time.

Getting up early

The thing with kids is that everything works according to a schedule. You have a time and place to drink, to sleep, to play, to dress etc. The moment your kid is born, you feel the urge to get everything back into its original place, because that is what I was used to. I wanted everything to be normal again, but now including Lukas. Only it doesn’t work like that, because the ‘baby system’ isn’t something you change overnight.

After a while however, I figured out that I could let this new system work for me too. I figured that if I could find time and space in that system, I probably would be feeling freer and would be able to be more creative. To accomplish this, I had to look outside the usual schedule.

For more than 4 months now, on working days, I get up around 5:30 am, instead of 6:30 am, I grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit down. I meditate and prepare for the day to come. There is a lot written about getting up early and I’m not getting in too many details. But I can tell you what it did for me.

More headspace

Getting up at 5:30 on workdays ensures me that I have a guaranteed one hour, 100% for me. No matter what I do, it’s for me and me alone. Whether I go out for a walk, do an exercise, read a book or watch YouTube. The fact that everyone is sleeping and no one disturbs me is freeing.

Getting up early for me is a system I needed to figure out and try to implement successfully. The silence in the morning gives me air to breathe and think. The entire (tidy) floor with a couch for me alone gives me the space I need. And the fact that everyone is asleep and every minute I have is a bonus, gives me fuel.

Most surprisingly however, is the fact that having a repetitive and dedicated place and time results in more headspace. It clears your mind and enables you to figure out solutions for challenges that cross your path and let creativity flow. Try not to think about magnificent designs or breathtaking revelations, but rather first steps in what could be.

Full attention

I am convinced that we live in the most demanding era ever. The pressure to perform is high and having it all in place is very important. I think we all have a lot of distractions that keep us away from the stuff that deserves our attention.

Speaking of attention; the irony is, although Lukas messed up my original system in the first place, he is also the one thing that deserves all of my attention. But because I have enough headspace due to my morning routine, I can give him my undivided attention.

I would like to encourage you to find what it is that distracts you or messes up your current system. Try then to create a new system to protect the things that matter to you. Creativity needs air to breathe, so whatever is high on your priority list; make room for it.

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