The balance between focused action and letting the mind wander is a delicate one to navigate for many. Too much focus on action and automation and there’s no room for serendipity and the possibility of fresh new ideas. Letting the mind wander too much and nothing gets achieved. How can we put in just enough structure and routine to allow ourselves the freedom to explore, be curious and create. And what rituals could help as we bridge from one state to another?
Routine and creativity are not often thought to go hand in hand but we are increasingly becoming aware of the necessity for both consistent bursts of activity and then the need to switch off, surrender and let the mind wander freely. In his book ‘Daily Rituals: How Artists Work’, author Mason Currey shares the routines of 161 creative geniuses and observes how in most cases ‘grand creative visions translate into small daily increments’. One common theme amongst the vast majority is a devotion to blocking out time for cognitively demanding ’deep work’ and then allowing a sense of freedom and exploration at set points during the rest of the day.
Take Charles Darwin for example who followed a particularly strict structure: waking at 7am, taking a walk, then scheduling intense 90 minute work sessions throughout the morning, before finishing at lunchtime and dedicating time to reading and rest during the afternoon. Similarly Charles Dickens would schedule intense writing sessions in the morning and then spend the afternoons taking long walks along the Kent coast to process his thoughts and let his mind wander. What’s interesting here is the discipline both to create and take action in a consistent way each day but then also to recognise the importance of inaction, to let the pre-frontal cortex switch off for a while, to get out of our own way so the ideas can flow freely.
In many ways this is in line with what we now know to be true from a neuroscience perspective. When we study creativity in the brain we know that ideas typically lie in the gaps between things. There are three areas of the brain that are most relevant for us to focus on here — the central executive network (which is activated when we need to focus deeply), the default mode network (which we use for brainstorming and daydreaming) and the salience network (which helps us to detect what we need in the moment and switch between different networks).
In many ways it seems that this is exactly what creatives have known and more importantly applied for decades. Would Darwin and Dickens have got drawn into back to back zoom meetings and endless email chains or would they simply show up, commit to creative action for a dedicated period of time and then actively let the mind wander, before repeating it all again the next day?
Ready, Set, Focus
As Twyla Tharp writes ‘Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits’. But what good work habits are we putting in place each day to create this delicate balance of focused action and dedicated daydreaming? 21st century workplace guru Cal Newport has studied and written about this extensively over the past decade and in particular the importance of ‘deep work’ to avoid distraction and stay focused on the task at hand. Work culture specialist, Bruce Daisley also employs a similar technique with his ‘monk mode mornings’, whereby he blocks out time in his calendar, switches off notifications and commits to completing important tasks. For both, getting into a ‘focus zone’ is key to success and a series of rituals are often employed; shutting down emails, putting phones in another room, a few moments of meditation, visualising what success looks like and setting a timer for the session. Similar to an athlete before a race it seems rituals can play a key part in setting up our brains for success.
Stepping into the daydream zone.
But how about rituals that help us to to get into more of an expansive zone; a zone where we switch off our pre-frontal cortex, stop trying to achieve anything in particular and let our minds wander freely? For Charles Dickens this was a daily afternoon walk to encourage daydreaming, a pursuit Julia Cameron, author of the legendary ‘Artists Way’ also advocates. Alongside walking Julia recommends ‘morning pages’, a daily ritual which involves free writing for 3 sides of A4 every morning. No structure, no plan, simply downloading whatever is in your brain in that moment. Her third ritual is a weekly ‘artist date’, a block of time each week dedicated to nurturing your creative consciousness; perhaps visiting somewhere new, taking yourself to the cinema, or a solo trip to the beach. By consistently engaging with these rituals, it’s thought that we can rediscover our inspiration and passion and rid ourselves of creative blocks.
Meditation is one ritual that seems to help with both getting into the ‘focus zone’ and getting into the ‘curiosity zone’ depending on the type of meditation technique you employ. For focus, meditation that encourages one-pointedness can be useful; be that following the breath, counting mala beads or watching the flame of a candle. And for that more expansive divergent thinking, open-monitoring or non directive meditation can set the scene well. Instead of concentrating on something specific, attention remains open and you are aware of everything that is happening around you.
Fascinatingly it seems that the ancient yogis and mediators were hugely adept at understanding and utilising different parts of the brain to live life well. This knowledge and wisdom seems just as appropriate in our lives and workplaces today than ever before. The Dalai Lama sums up this concept of action and inaction wonderfully by saying ‘sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying or doing something, and sometimes one creates a significant impression by remaining silent’. How can we can create routines and rituals that balance both action and surrender to live and work well today?