Monday, July 21, 2014

Getting Geek : Start Your Day With Creativity for Non-Morning Persons

Good morning!
Not really...

Every morning, I do my uttermost best to make breakfast a pleasant experience. I know very well that it is THE most important meal of the day, however, since I am not a morning person, eating does not feel appealing before 8AM.

To compensate for my traditional (bad) mood, I try to keep myself busy with other things while chewing my oatmeal and sipping some coffee. In my search for productivity, I discovered that there is nothing better to do than to kick-off the day with creative thoughts.


Getting Geek : Start Your Day With Creativity for Non-Morning Persons

Sincerely, I have no problems about eating standing. As long as my shoes are comfortable, give me all the walking dinners that you can get. But in the morning, I developed this simple ritual throughout the years that consists in sitting at a table with my meal, my Macbook and iPad.

On the iPad, I update my Instagram account with my quote of the day or some other entry I prepared the evening before and, I check all my emails account. On the Mac, I catch up with Facebook, Twitter and check some blogs. The best part about this 'exercise' is the fact that I already expose myself to creative material even before leaving home.

After getting off bed, the mind is free. You just had hours of rest, you had time to reset your thoughts and now, you are like a sponge. You are ready to absorb new ideas and you are fresh to work them out based on your own concepts.

Going a little more in details, this is how it works for me:


Articles and blogs

Yesterday morning, for example, before going to the gym, I discovered 2 great articles shared by friends on Facebook:

Both articles and comments were very enlightening. I identify myself with both topics and it felt welcoming to know that not only I am not alone in my principles, but I also have close friends with the same opinion.

Agreeing with the point of view of the author is not a requirement to feel inspired by a text though. As long as it stimulates brain activity somehow, it is positive.

Trying reading an article or two in the morning. Add engaging sites to your favorite RSS feed to speed up the search. It can be something about work, hobby or relationships. Just make it interesting reading.


Pins

Pinterest is my favorite social media platform together with Instagram. The amount of tutorials, DIY, workouts and quotes one can find in just one place is simply amazing!

Generally I use my own boards as reference for the search theme, but sometimes, I just jump from one pin (or pinner) to another to see what is going on. Quotes, Inspiration and Motivation are my favorite morning topics.


Fit is not a destination. It's a way of life.

Do not be surprised if you find a great topic for your next blog, ideas to make your life easier or simply a great quote that gives you the pump that you needed.


Images

Because I live in a different time zone from most of my friends and people I follow, my Instagram account is loaded of posts by the time I wake up. In the morning, I love to scroll down as many entries as time allows and check out everyone's PR, latest workout or progress.

Things like a cute cat or a beautiful view give me the boost I need to kick butt the whole day long. An "image speaks a thousand words" and IG proves it everyday.

It is a good day to have a good day!

Since IG is in its essence a mobile app, I play around with it in my dull moments. Waiting on a line can be much more pleasant if one doing something instructive than looking at the watch every 30 seconds.


In short, my morning ritual to rise creativity consists of:
  • Reading articles and blogs
  • Searching for pins
  • Checking images

If you are still trying to figure out what works best for you, just have in mind that you will have to make it a habit before it becomes natural. It is like working out. If you want to improve your performance or lift heavy, first you will need to go through (probably) boring trainings before you can get somewhere. But no matter how long it takes you to find you thing, it will be worth it!


What do you do on a daily basis to stimulate your creativity?
What are you favorite sources of inspiration?
When do you find yourself most productive: AM or PM?


Next week Tuesday it is Tip Tuesday Linkup day. Got tips to share? So make sure you join me then!

Tip Tuesday Linkup


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