“I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at nine o’clock every morning.” (source unclear but often attributed to William Faulkner)

You may have noticed a slow down and/or complete stop in posts lately. April was filled with emergency rehearsals – I had to teach a group choreography in about a month for our troupe’s debut performance. Did I mention I’ve never choreographed for a group or taught anybody before? It was a little stressful for all of us but the piece came out well (at least I assume so based on audience reception; video isn’t out yet). And I’m really grateful that my troupe mates are such patient ladies!

The show was on May 1 but it took me a little while to regain equilibrium, particularly because I felt like I deserved some lazing around time after all that work. Finally, last week I got around to doing an online dance class. As I was finishing up the class, I found myself wanting to journal a little – just because that was the next thing I was “supposed” to do. And then I re-realized, again, the importance of a routine.

A lot of people, particularly those that fancy themselves as somewhat creative, freak at the mention of routine because blah blah free spirit blah blah — but I think a good routine increases productivity and can even enhance creativity.

First of all, routine removes a lot of resistance. At some point I got in the habit of dance followed by journaling. So as I was finishing up my class the other day, I was simply “ready” to get to my pages because it was my habit (even after a month’s interruption). When it becomes a habit like that, you don’t need to fight with or spend 2 hours coaxing yourself. You just go because it’s what you’re doing. Not to say that you are always excited about it, but you do it. Think of your morning routine – all that stuff you do without even thinking. I make my bed, get dressed and eat breakfast without even having to wake up.

Since you are not spending those 2 hours fighting yourself, that’s 2 extra hours to create. Or do laundry. Either way, you’re able to just get more done. And that in itself is a reward – I know that the more I do, the more I wanna do (except maybe the laundry). I enjoy that sense of accomplishment and want more of it. I also notice that ideas lead to more ideas – if you are being creative, it’ll only make you more creative (well, unless you believe we all have finite creativity, which I don’t). Once you get over that initial hump of “I don’t wanna,” a lot of stuff starts flowing. If you make getting over the hump (somewhat) automatic, everything else follows more easily.

Once you get into the habit of being creative at a certain point (which may sound strange but I think our brains are naturally inclined towards habit, even the creative parts) it makes that time much more rewarding and productive because you can dive right in rather than play mind games with yourself. Obviously this isn’t foolproof and we all have bad days, but having a bad day (or several) isn’t such a BIG DEAL when you are present and creative every day (or however often you choose, as long as it’s regular). If you are only creative sometimes, a bad experience can really throw you off. But if you are there every day, it’s just another day that isn’t as good as the others. And you keep going and you don’t worry (too much). In this way, a routine can actually open you up and keep you more creative because it pushes you to just do. Good or bad, at least you’re there.

Routines can be structured differently – I think the most common is time-based: do this at 2pm, do this at 3pm, etc. That works for a lot of people. It doesn’t work for me because I just hate having clocks boss me around. Mine are activity-based: exercise followed by shower followed by journaling, etc. The difficulty in this type is that, since there is no “start time,” you just have to decide to do it at some point. I manage to motivate myself but I understand that some people may benefit more from time cues or having somebody call and yell at them.

I think the reason many people shy away from routine is because they confuse it with a rut. A rut is a routine that no longer serves you – it becomes mechanical and you just do it because … you do it. It doesn’t help you anymore but you just keep going. If you find yourself totally bored and perhaps resentful, take a look at what you do and ask yourself why you do it or why it’s useful. If it’s not useful, get rid of it. Routines change as we and our needs change. They should provide a structure for you to keep yourself on track but they should never be oppressive. Make sure to re-evaluate your routines every once in a while – it’s way easier to change routines than it is to abandon one that isn’t working and then try to get back into good habits after 2 weeks of watching of cartoons all day. Not that I’ve done that.

Do you have any routines that help you get into a creative or productive mindset? Or are you a free spirit type that truly doesn’t need any structure at all (they’re out there but I really don’t think they’re common!)?