Creativity Through Slow Living
I've spent a lot of time lately observing myself at work, trying to identify patterns and trends in my energy levels, what works and what doesn't, the best times to focus on certain types of activity.
My mental state during the day can be simplified into two categories - high energy and low energy. In the high energy state I'm going a mile a minute, hammering out writing, jumping from task to task, barely pausing between finishing one thing and starting the next. It feels good, and satisfying, and it's what allows me to get a lot done during the day.
In the low energy state I'm relaxed, calm, quiet, I move fairly slowly, I don't feel a real need to do anything. It feels good too, just in different ways. When I'm in the low-energy state I can sit down and read a book or eat dinner without the TV on, two things I just can't do when I'm on high.
My intention in studying these states has been to learn to harness and control them better, and switch between them at the times I choose. Too much of the time when I need to be working I'm on low energy, and when I'm done at the end of the day I get stuck in high energy and can't settle down or sleep.
But I had a simple but interesting realisation - that practically all my best ideas come to me when I'm in the low energy state, not really thinking about anything in particular. When I try to brainstorm article ideas in high energy mode, for example, it's very hard work and the ideas tend to be pretty unoriginal or flat.
My best ideas, that I get really excited about, have all come to me when I was making dinner, going for a walk or most of all settling down to sleep - the notepad by my bed is an absolute essential.
Since I realised this, I've been making more time for relaxing activities and downtime in my day - taking a full hour for lunch, for example, where before I'd gobble at my desk, and winding down earlier in the evening to have some real relaxation time. I keep a notebook to hand and just let ideas flow up without feeling the need to pursue them right away, and some good stuff has been floating to the surface.
Slow down to conceive, speed up to implement. Does it work for you? Share your experiences in the comments.
My mental state during the day can be simplified into two categories - high energy and low energy. In the high energy state I'm going a mile a minute, hammering out writing, jumping from task to task, barely pausing between finishing one thing and starting the next. It feels good, and satisfying, and it's what allows me to get a lot done during the day.
In the low energy state I'm relaxed, calm, quiet, I move fairly slowly, I don't feel a real need to do anything. It feels good too, just in different ways. When I'm in the low-energy state I can sit down and read a book or eat dinner without the TV on, two things I just can't do when I'm on high.
My intention in studying these states has been to learn to harness and control them better, and switch between them at the times I choose. Too much of the time when I need to be working I'm on low energy, and when I'm done at the end of the day I get stuck in high energy and can't settle down or sleep.
But I had a simple but interesting realisation - that practically all my best ideas come to me when I'm in the low energy state, not really thinking about anything in particular. When I try to brainstorm article ideas in high energy mode, for example, it's very hard work and the ideas tend to be pretty unoriginal or flat.
My best ideas, that I get really excited about, have all come to me when I was making dinner, going for a walk or most of all settling down to sleep - the notepad by my bed is an absolute essential.
Since I realised this, I've been making more time for relaxing activities and downtime in my day - taking a full hour for lunch, for example, where before I'd gobble at my desk, and winding down earlier in the evening to have some real relaxation time. I keep a notebook to hand and just let ideas flow up without feeling the need to pursue them right away, and some good stuff has been floating to the surface.
Slow down to conceive, speed up to implement. Does it work for you? Share your experiences in the comments.
Labels: creativity, downtime, Energy level, productivity, relaxing, Time management
posted by Mark at
16:45
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