Do This Before You Create
You and I have talked before about the creator’s daily struggle and how important it is to cultivate your very own creative deep work routine as a daily habit.
Sometimes the hardest part is just to start. That first five minutes. That’s why it can help to add a ritual to the beginning of your work sessions.
Think of it as a mindful warmup, a transition from everyday noise to creative flow.
I call it the Prepare Phase of your creative deep work routine. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Define Your Focus
Step 1 is to set a concrete, achievable goal for your work session. Think “write 500 words” instead of “write a novel.” Here are some examples:
For writers, this could be writing 1,000 words, outlining a chapter, or revising a section of your book proposal.
For musicians, it could be composing a melody, practicing a challenging technique, or producing a complete beat and send it to your collaborator.
For screenwriters, it could be to write the scene where Kumar and Shelly meet, to solve the structural problem in Act 2, or storyboard a sequence.
For painters, it might be sketching out your subject, doing a study, or adding detail to the face in your painting.
These are just some examples. Remember to push yourself, but avoid setting yourself up for failure. And remember one other thing:
Don’t do research during your creative time.
Treat your Deep Work time as sacred. This is time to build, to generate, not to browse. A good rule is to do your creative work in the mornings, and research in the afternoons or on weekends.
Step 2: Gather Your Materials
The next step is to take a few minutes to gather the materials you will need to accomplish your goal. The idea is to have everything within arm’s reach. Notebooks, paints, relevant research notes, brushes and pencils, instruments (plugged in and ready to go).
The goal here is to minimize interruptions during your work session. Don’t over think this—you won’t think of everything, and that’s okay. Don’t spend more than 1 or 2 minutes on this step.
Step 3: Creative Deep Work Onramp
Now it’s time to prime your mindset and emotions to enter the flow state. Create a sequence of repeatable actions that will form a natural on-ramp to creative work.
Your on-ramp should not be cognitively demanding, and it shouldn’t be open ended. You should be able to do it on autopilot. Here are some suggested onramp steps:
Drink a full glass of water
Tidy up your workspace for 60 seconds
Check your next appointment time
Do a short deep breathing exercise
Take a short walk
Listen to a trigger song, or start a work playlist
Choose two or three of these items, and do them in the same order, every day. The point of this ritual is that the more you do it, the more useful it becomes. Eventually, your body will know that every time you do this sequence, it’s time to be creative. It’s just what you do.
Step 4: Set a Timer and Go
Set a timer for your work session, so that you can release the need to think about timing. You can just lose yourself in your work.
By the end of this Prepare phase, you’ll have:
A clear, achievable goal to propel you.
All the tools you need within reach.
A timer ticking, fueling your focus.
A primed mind and body, eager to create.
Remember, consistency is key. Carve out your Creative Deep Work time daily, and watch your creative bursts become a regular occurrence.
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Note: I explain the full Creative Deep Work process in this Skillshare course, if you’re interested. You can get a free month of Skillshare using this link (then cancel after you’ve watched the course). If you’re a current student of mine, send me an email and I’ll give you a link to watch the course, free of charge.