Do you find yourself wishing you could incorporate more creativity into your daily routine?

This week's article begins a two week creativity overhaul - just a small, gentle, daily change to see what works for you, and to try and find space for you to express yourself.

Good article. I will try change in my habits from tomorrow.

Thanks Das. Let us know how you go!

Here's Week 2 of the Creativity Overhaul.

Enjoy!

Hi, this is good article.
Tell me , how do I become more creative on this forum?
Any hints?

Welcome back CDM

Perhaps my next article will have some ideas you can try - how about thinking up some interesting questions to ask people?

Hey, I am already doing that. Thanks.

Great articles

Thank you Lala!

Some of those things I have been trying before I even read the article. Such as, getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, cooking something new etc. I have no problem trying new things in my day, but the one I just cant seem to change is the getting up earlier. I have tried everything under the sun. I cant seem to do it and its really bothering me. Ive tried the alarm clock thing, telling myself to sit up right away, starting a dream journal, different alarm systems, having something to do in the morning that I can look forward to... ugh... really Ive tried everything. And I do this EVERY single morning. I get up at 730 when I work at 8. This gives me 15 minutes to get ready. I want to get up no later than 7, preferably 630. I would like to enjoy my morning, have something to eat, relax, take my time getting ready etc. But when it comes down to it, I just hate getting up. I enjoy sleeping and dont want to get up. I get up because I have to go to work. I dont hate my job though. Its not the best in the world, but I cant say I hate it. Its just tiring. By the end of the week Im exhausted. On my days off, I generally sleep until 10 and have no problem getting up, feeling refreshed and happy. And I go to bed at the same time-ish as any other night. Generally in bed by 11pm.. I try for 10:30... sometimes 11:30.

I know the feeling. I love my bed in the mornings too.

Have you tried going to bed later? If you're not falling asleep within about 15-30 minutes, then you might be tossing and turning for a few hours meaning that you actually could be getting less sleep when you go to bed earlier.

This is my problem - I'm getting into bed when I'm at my most awake and creative now, because hubby starts work early and I just hate hanging around a quiet house working when he's sleeping. It unnerves me. So I'm in bed at 9.30pm and then I churn plots of stories and details for articles around in my head for ages.

Normally it takes me at least 1/2 an hour to fall asleep. Sometimes more... and less if I go to bed super late like 1 or 2am. Do you think I could only be needing 6 hours sleep? which means if I go to bed at 10:30 I should be getting up around 430 or 5... but if I go to bed around 1 then I'll be getting up around 7. hmmm... interesting. Because this morning I work up at 5 pretty much wide awake and feeling ok but I told myself that I didnt have to be up yet so I ended up going back to sleep and then when I woke up at 730 I felt [censored] again.

I hate being woken up by an alarm.. I want to be able to wake up with out an alarm. Its just so much nicer to wake up when my body says Ive had enough sleep rather than being woken up. I just thought going to bed past 12 was bad (on days that I work) and that I should be in bed before 11. But if thats the case then I should be getting up at like 5 and just do stuff that I enjoy.. hmmmm

It's worth experimenting. And I know that I always always feel worse if I wake up "bright eyed" earlier than usual but tell myself I can snooze for another half an hour. I always end up kicking myself for not getting up when I first woke up.

I think I'll give it a try

It may take a few times before it works though lol... Im so awful! But thanks, you helped alot!!!

Well last night I went to bed around midnight and I ended up dreaming about getting up at 5am. Normally I remember every detail of my dreams, but all I can recall from it is that I was doing everything I could to make sure I was awake at 5am lol.

And then hubby came into the bedroom and said that he forgot what time I wanted to get up and that's the same time I was waking up, which ended up being 40 minutes earlier than usual. So up I got, but I can't stop yawning lol...

So this morning I got up at 6:50 instead of 7:30... but all I wanna do in crawl back into bed...

...so speaking of doing things differently today has definitely been much different than normal - and Ive only been up for about 1/2 an hour.

I got up 40 minutes early - even though it sucked! and I still just want to go back to bed!!!

Hubby is making breakfast for us... which is crazy weird because neither of us eat 'breakfast' He normally has a granola bar on his way to work and I generally eat on my first break at 10am. But he is making eggs, hashbrowns etc.

Im also having tea! Lately Ive been drinking tea but today is the first time in the morning.

Another thing Ive been doing every evening is making our lunch before we go to bed. It's been so much better. I end up making a nice healthy lunch rather than rushing around in the morning and ending up taking all the quick unhealthy stuff.

In fact all day was different. There was this morning which I already mentioned.. and then I got to work early, I ate healthy at work and drank lots of water, I even WALKED home from work rather than getting a ride with someone. That took a good 30 minutes, and its sooo hot today

Then I hopped into a nice shower as soon as I got home (normally I have a shower before bed) lol...

Sounds great Lala - it will be interesting to see whether this has any effect on the days following, whether you fall asleep easier and wake/get up more easily. But it sounds like you're going more healthy, which has to be good! Keep us posted.

Why not force yourself getting up and enjoy the morning?
Try to do that for few days.

how do I "force" myself? right away in the morning i dont have that kind of mentality/motivation

i dont have that kind of mentality/motivation
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You are more interested in sleep than enjoying the mornings?

I WANT to be more interested in enjoying the mornings, but when it comes down to it, yes I am more interested in sleep (at that moment). It's later in the day that I wish I had gotten up earlier and enjoyed the morning.

I used to be the same way about my mornings and found that in order to get up and enjoy them I had to adopt a feel-good routine. The first thing I do when I wake up is put water on for tea or start brewing coffee. Then I get a shower and enjoy my tea or coffee while I get dressed. I always bring my hot beverage as well as a large glass of ice water back to my work area and start writing or doing my design work for the day. It's a really nice way to start the day. Sometimes I will write outside on the patio or just keep the curtains in my office drawn and enjoy the darkness.

I find that if all of my senses aren't stimulated when I wake up then I don't feel well rested. My sense of touch is invigorated by the shower and giving the dog a quick pat good morning, smell with yummy body washes and my beverage brewing, taste with my hot beverage, and sight by getting right to work by writing or doing my design work. Sound is a tough one for me because sometimes because I find the silence more invigorating than noise or music in the morning hours. There are too many noisy distractions throughout the day (mainly the thumping bass of my rude upstairs neighbor's stereo) and I savor the silence while it lasts. During the late morning or early afternoon I usually start playing some music if other people's noise gets in the way of my thoughts.

Sound is hard for me to take in the mornings too. Generally Im not in the mood to even be talked to for at least 1/2 an hour lol.. I enjoy silence when I first wake. Although, at night I cant stand the silence. I find that if I dont listen to music or something while Im falling asleep then I have a hard time getting to sleep. During the day and morning I like silence though. At night my mind just seems to wander when it's too quiet, while during the day I find silence relaxing.

Silence is just as valuable for stimulating your hearing sense as sound is. It's never completely silent anyway, so whether you actively search for it or not, you have the sounds of life and movement surrounding you - and that's probably adequate stimulation early in the morning! Hopefully you have some bird and nature sounds amongst all the noisy neighbour sounds, Kiki - but even the sounds of our fellow human beings can be reassuring and comforting when we're alone in our own little worlds.

that's why I said- force yourself.

I'm really enjoying this discussion - it's prompted an article I'm working on, on motivation. I'll post a preview link tomorrow.

Lala - I've posted some ideas and tips on getting yourself out of bed over at Hubpages. Have a look if you're interested.

Elle,

You are really creative.

Why, thank you

You are welcome.

Here's a preview link of this week's article on Creativity and Motivation. It will go live on Friday.

Elle, you say-
Society seems to focus on correcting and punishing incorrect behavior far more often than rewarding the everyday expected successes.

Very correct.