Healthy Work Day Habits for Creatives

Working in a creative field offers a unique experience from many other types of careers. There is something significant about being able to create an object, a concept, or an advertisement out of nothing but a thought or burst of imagination. However, because this work relies on thoughts, imagination, and creativity, your mind and surroundings need to be nurtured in order to produce your best work.

Here are six practical habits you can implement during the workday to help you produce your best creative work. 

Find how you best focus

Pay attention to the environment you focus well in. Whether that is at a certain desk, with a certain amount of noise, or deciding to put your phone out of sight. It’s important to avoid distractions so that you can get into the "Flow State.” This "Flow State” is a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing.

Take short breaks

While it is important to have focused work time, it is also helpful to take regular short breaks. These short breaks are proven to increase productivity by helping you better focus during your work, feelings of accomplishment afterwards, and also help measure your progress. 

Go for a walk

One thing you can do while you practice regular short breaks is to go for a walk. If you're ever feeling stuck or in a creative rut, a Stanford University study revealed that walking can improve one's creative output by up to 60%. In fact, throughout time, creative minds have sought nature for inspiration and well-being. Many creatives like Mark Twain and Henry David Thoreau considered walks as one of their most important daily habits to boost creativity.

Fully rest on your off days

Studies from the University of York and the University of Florida found more than 40% of our creative ideas come during breaks and downtime when our minds are free to wander. If creative people don't fully rest, they will feel burnt out and won't be able to come up with new ideas.

Show up on time & be professional

There is a curious balance between creative jobs and business professionalism. It is important to recognize that although creative jobs are a bit non-traditional, in the end, they are still a form of business and need to be treated as such. Showing up on time, holding yourself accountable, and being professional, even if you are working for yourself, are highly important. 

Be continually learning & adapting

In a creative career, just when you begin to think you might have learned it all, there is something new to be learned. The definition of creativity is “the ability to make or bring into existence something new.” Nothing new comes into existence without curiosity, adaptability, and the ability and humility to learn. Stagnance and creativity are completely opposed to one another. In order to become a lifelong learner, pay attention to how things operate, adapt, and change over time. Ask questions and be curious about the world. Creativity has no ceiling, there is always room for improvement.