Creating new habits and forming rituals leads to idea generation. How do I know? I’ve done it.
Here’s my proof:
Last year, I made the decision to increase my weekly workout routine from two workouts a week to five. At first, this change was about becoming healthier, but it became so much more than that. Exercising five days a week increased my strength, stamina, and self-discipline. I don’t say to myself, I can’t anymore. I say to myself; you can do this. How did I do it? One day, I was complaining to my husband about my lack of weight loss and he said, “I work out every day. You want results, you have to work out daily.” I mumbled some random excuse under my breath and went about the rest of my day. A week later, I woke up one morning and decided, I’d had enough. I vowed to work out between 5-6 days a week, even when I didn’t feel like it. For the last nine weeks, I arrived at my kickboxing studio ready to rise. I kept motivated by reading inspirational quotes and listening to empowerment videos. It sounds silly, I know, but it works. It took me two years to gain this mentality and I’m not going back.
Though I value my physical health, I realize the significance of having good mental health. Balance is important. To keep my mental health up to par, I journal every morning. I visualize what I want out of life and write down. I also have a gratitude journal, which affords me a moment of clarity. It helps me to zero-in on what’s important to me. I write in these journals daily. I keep track of it all in an app called, HabitNow. It’s a great way to keep focused.
Becoming disciplined in these other areas of my life has made me think about how I’ve been managing my writing life. I haven’t been managing it very well. I haven’t been writing as much as I wanted. Some of it had to do with the fact that my office closet was overrun with too much “stuff.” For some reason, everything always seems to find its way there. I knew I needed to declutter. When I finally cleared the space, I felt so free. I made a pact with myself to declutter my office once a month to keep from reaching that point again. I’m def going to do it. If you’re interested in getting rid of paper and going digital, try the Fast Scanner Pro + Box apps. They are brilliant.
Clearing out my office motivated me to declutter the rest of my home. In doing this, I have made it easier to clean. Less stuff equals less stuff to clean. I felt so energized and determined after I decluttered that a ton of fiction ideas began to flow.
Even though, I had focus and these new ideas popping into my head, I found it difficult to write at home. I found myself cleaning, talking on the phone, or watching television. Ugh! I knew I had to make a change for 2020. I researched co-working spaces in Wicker Park. I found a brilliant spot called, Workvana.
It’s a beautiful, quiet spot with great energy. I’m currently building the habit to go Monday thru Friday. Some weeks work better than others, but I am committed.
So, what do all these new habits have to do with idea generation?
I was about to get to that!
By creating all these new habits and sticking to them, I’ve cleared up tons of thinking time. So many incredible story and project ideas have flooded my brain in the last couple of months. I can hardly believe it. I’m excited and ready to execute them all.
I am so happy and grateful that I got this creative recharge. I needed it.
