26 Lifestyle Changes Guaranteed to Substantially and Quickly Boost your Creative Productivity

Posted at 3 pm on September 25, 2012 by Alex Mathers

Being makers of things, one of our most important assets is our ‘creative productivity’. In this case, our ability to actually create new things through doing; through taking action, not just thinking about it.

To counteract this, we so often come against various blocks in energy and enthusiasm that hamper such efforts. Abounding in creative productivity is, therefore massively valuable, and it is in our best interests to see it thrive consistently within us.

I’m going boldly ahead by saying that there are guaranteed ways that you can achieve increased creativity and productivity in various ways through making small adjustments. These are all ideas I’ve gathered through personal experience and through the feedback of others. Each case is simple, straightforward cause and effect.

I will keep it short and refrain from explaining each point, not because I can’t be bothered, but because I want this post to be all about taking quick action and seeing the results for yourself (you guys are also no fools!). Yes, many of these we hear about day in, day out, but here are some key ones all in one place, that make quick changes.

Here are 26 in no order: (Taking action on just one can make a big change. I’m not saying give them all up!)

1. Quit coffee and caffeine
2. Drink more water more regularly
3. Take brisk walks
4. Quit dairy products
5. Meditate
6. Treat yourself with hot baths and massage more often
7. Socialise
8. Give yourself deadlines
9. Try more new things that scare you a little
10. Quit smoking
11. De-clutter your surroundings, especially work environment
12. Shift your dietary balance to plant-based foods
13. Wake up early (I thought I was a night owl, but doing this has made a huge difference)
14. Exercise a little or a lot every day
15. Quit alcohol
16. Get over yourself and actively be more positive
17. Improve the quality of other people’s lives
18. Quit sugar
19. Regularly self massage
20. Read before bed
21. Take 5 slow deep breaths when you feel off
22. Say no to time-wasters and stress-inducers
23. Think less
24. Allow yourself a few minutes to get angry or complain daily, then get over it
25. Eat more Omega-3s
26. Make use of solitude

Aldous Huxley once said:

“The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.”

That’s 26 things that I know will make a big difference to your creative productivity, but also everything else that will make you simply feel good. I’m not expecting you (or me for that matter) to take action on all of them, and yup, some might be seen as pretty drastic changes by some of you. But those are the ones that will create the most noticeable shifts.

Now go ahead, and make cool things.

http://www.bluesmoke.ro/ Daniel

“23. Think less” Why everyone advises people to think less? When in fact they should think more? Or should I say that people should think in the first place? I believe you can never think to much.
Alex Mathers

I’m stating what seems counterintuitive to creative productivity. The thing is though, thinking too much means we think less about more, not good for productivity as it increases powerlessness.
http://sandervanrossen.blogspot.com Sander van Rossen

What REALLY made a huge difference for me was to take vitamin D pills. Almost everyone in the northern hemisphere has a vitamin D deficiency and this has bad effects on your immune system and your energy. In fact, it’s one of the few dietary supplements that have actually been proven to reduce cancer risk by 50%. Since I started taking them I feel like my energy DOUBLED.
Alex Mathers

Oooh, I like this one. This could definitely be a number 26. Thanks Sander!
http://Renatajaniszewska.com Renata Janiszewska

In the last 2 years, I have adopted 13 of the 25 points you mention. I really do have more energy now, and my creativity seems boundless.
Alex Mathers

Great to hear of living proof, Renata, thank you :).
http://www.dorisnickerson.com Doris Nickerson

Great suggestions — sounds a bit like my cardiologist’s advice, especially giving up sugar, exercise more, walk more, etc. Already had to give up coffee. Definitely need to declutter my work space. I don’t like to stay on computer and socialize — do what’s needed and move on. Right on — thanks.
Alex Mathers

Haha, Doris, very true, but I don’t like to skirt around the ‘facts’, and these are some of the best changes one can make in the interest of creative productivity!
http://www.digital-science.com Sven Laqua

I like many of them. Although i agree with Doris, many of them are pretty universally applicable and would improve your life, no matter what work you’re doing – don’t you think?

Also, I’d say comfort food can be quite important to boost your mood sometimes. It’s all about moderation, not just all or nothing – this hardly works for most people.
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Angie Wimberly

Can you expand on giving up dairy? I ask because I’ve been seeing arguments for and against and I can’t tell which is a better argument. The Livestrong site still lists it as good as a source of calcium and protein, but other fitness enthusiasts share your opinion. I just want a credible source.
Alex Mathers

Hi Angie, I don’t think anyone is 100% sure, but I’m going with the many arguments that seem credible and point to animal proteins doing more harm than good. Even if milk is a good source of calcium, it might be better to avoid for productivity’s sake, and get calcium from elsewhere… I haven’t given up dairy, by the way. These are all suggestions, and I don’t claim to be a credible source myself!
http://dorotheadibaillustrations.blogspot.com Dorothea Diba

Done with most of them and have to admit how it worked me far better. The only hard fight left is the tenth. :) Thanks for sharing this, Alex.
Akash

Hello Alex, I have been visiting your site for several weeks. This is first time ever commenting. Congratulations on Great Job!

@Daniel: Thinking too much also means, MOSTLY, we are either in past or anxious over future. None helps.
http://www.shrunkenheaddesign.co.uk Lloyd Harvey

No… coffee?
George

Some great points and I will be adopting some of them (alcohol is the one that clouds my brain) but to quit good coffee …. ouch! I can’t do that.
Ced

Hey I’ve been thinking about quitting coffee. Interesting to see that it’s no.1 on your list. Can you explain why?
Nicolas

Caffiene. Caffeine blocks your bodies ability to absorb iron from anything you consume that contains iron. Even if you take iron supplements. I love coffee, so I have opted for decaf. But the expensive naturally filterd kind. Tastes great and you can say goodbye a sleepy mornings.

Doing this 1 thing has stopped fatigue, laziness, sleepiness and overall increased my mood. If for nothing else, you should allow your body to know when it is tired. Putting off sleep for a deadline is something else but really, just give up caffeine. Sodas and energy drinks too! Great blog btw. Loving it.
Alex Mathers

Nicolas, thank you – you got there first!

It’s all about the caffeine. It might give you a seeming productivity boost shortly after drinking it, but over the course of a day, caffeine, caffeinated coffee, and energy drinks will have nothing to show for helping your creative productivity!
Akash

Body absorbing iron from our food intake. Squeezed lemon over food (whenever it goes with that dish) helps iron absorption.
Alex Mathers

Thanks Akash!
http://www.dancingonthepage.com Zoe

Walks is a good one
Ced

Thanks team. This caffeine thing is really interesting. Might have to take the plunge (pun intended) and quit coffee.

Alex, I totally know what you’re saying, in the morning I have one coffee and my productivity and creativity go way up, but the rest of the day is a struggle.

What about tea guys? … only low levels of caffeine.
http://www.steta.in armeen

Great points, all of these. Being a night owl is a big problem for a lot of us. It is so true that once the quality of your own life improves, your work improves. The best investment in time you can make is in your own well-being.
Alex Mathers

Thank you for the comment Armeen, great point! It’s not that being a night owl is a problem, however, if that suits you. But many of us think we’re night owls when getting up early can make us even more alive and productive.
Tim

might work for you, but none of this works for me. except maybe the regular 5 minute self-massage unfortunately, there is no common formula to creativity for every person. and a gret deal of these are anecdotal.
Alex Mathers

thanks for the comments Tim! Any ideas from you?
http://www.nicjolyunderfoot.com Nic

Hey Alex, all of these are well and good, but I fear you are missing something.. No man is an Island. Call me a romantic, but is there anything more inspiring and motivating than; being in, having, sharing, letting in, or giving out Love.
Alex Mathers

I like your thoughts Nic, and I think you are right for the most part. Giving love is invigorating and energising. I wouldn’t say being ‘in Love’ makes one guaranteed to be creatively productive, however. That is out of your control and therefore likely more an impediment don’t you think?
http://www.nicjolyunderfoot.com Nic

Of Course being ‘In Love’ does not guarantee creative productivity. But using it is a tool to inspire yourself and others around you to be the best you, and they possibly can is surely a step in the right direction.
As far as it being an impediment goes, things out of our control are what makes the journey of our creative lives such an adventure. Is it not how we react and deal with things out of our control that makes us who we are ?
Alex Mathers

Yes, though I believe being ‘in love’ (and effectively helpless) and sharing love for others is a little different. The latter being excellent for productivity as I said.

I believe it is what we create within our own control that make us who we are, not in the way we react to things. Reactivity is knee-jerk and passive. I urge you to read about what I wrote on reactivity in this post linked below.

Enjoy!

http://www.redlemonclub.com/motivation/how-not-being-creative-is-harming-your-very-survival/
http://www.nicjolyunderfoot.com Nic

Wow you’re good ! Are you the Creative persons Messiah ? I feel a sculpture of you coming on.. I’ll tweet you when its done..
Thanks Alex.
Alex Mathers

haha :) I’d be honoured!! Alex
Mireille Sillander

On the “think less” bit: I can’t remember whose list for creative types it was, but it mentioned “not trying to create and analyze at the same time because the two are different processes”. So yeah; think less when you need to create. Analyze when analyzing is called for. Practise to know the difference.
Elena

I like the fact that you added point number 26. This is such an important point in my opinion. I’m learning to value solitude so much and I’m getting this praise of solitude from many readings I’ve done recently. Although it seems to contradict point number 7. I like all your points, anyway.
Alex Mathers

Thanks Elena. I don’t see the contradiction in this case as an issue if they both ultimately lead to increased productivity. It’s to do with how you manage that time, allowing yourself the balance.
http://www.jansitek.co.uk Jan Sitek

Deep down we all know these points but
but don’t follow ‘em – human nature to take the easy routes!

26? – Like this one! finding spending time off the drawing board and looking at stuff that’s total time wasting!!!

I’m sure I’m not the only culprit!

All good reading Alex as usual :-)
Alex Mathers

Jan, you’re very right about most of these requiring an extra push from us as humans, but then with the rewards that we see from doing so, we realise the power we possess.
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http://Www.lovegraphicdesigns.co.uk Davina

Love this post Alex, totally agree with the night owl thing, I too discovered that waking up early actually helps my creativity! Thanks for sharing :-)
Alex Mathers

Good stuff Davina! Agreed. Good Morning!
http://www.dribbble.com/chirmer chirmer

#4 – yes yes yes! At least, dump processed dairy. The pasteurization and skimming of milk and other dairy actually removes the vitamins A, D and K2 which tell your body how to absorb the calcium you’re taking in. So, you drink in the calcium and it goes right back out of you – what a waste!

#12 – no no no! At least, not for me, I suppose I should say. I’ve been Paleo for about six months and it’s been a lifechanger. Humans are built to thrive on high-protein diets — diets rich in lean meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. You want to feel fantastic? Dump grains! Wheat, corn, rice, all of it! My body has leaned out, I’m awake ALL DAY, I can focus for much longer, recovery time is MUCH shorter after intense workouts… overall I just feel amazing. Get that GMO wheat and gluten out of your body and you’ll feel it too! It’s just too much work to get all of the protein your body needs on a primarily vegetarian diet, and that alone should be hint enough at its success rate. Eating like our ancestors is the way to go :)

Other than that, a great list! I found that even just getting all of my tasks and to-dos in a task manager and out of my brain made me so much more productive. The more you’re organized, the less you have to THINK of where to put or how to do something. Oh, hello #23! ;)
Alex Mathers

What a fab comment Devon, thank you! You’ve really got me thinking again, as I’ve been consistently unsure about eating too much animal proteins. I like your take and I do agree that wheats and glutens are the real baddies.. but I still feel like taking it easy when I can on animal meats, more from the environmental and moral perspective, though I’m certainly not a vegetarian. Definitely trying to take it easy on the pork.

My view is that it seems to be wise to go mostly plants and up your proteins via occasional lean meat (with a big bias towards grass-fed and ‘well-treated’) – ideally anyway..
http://www.BigSmokeStudio.com Peter

Not really sure about coffee – hard to say but it keeps me awake by the computer – you need to drink something. So for any edits – nice coffee in the morning – gin and tonic in the evening :)
Akash

Thank you Chirmer for comments on food and Thank Peter too, for comments on Beverages/Drinks. I lik3 them :)
http://www.alexsingleton.com/ Alex Singleton

Decluttering and some solitude definitely help. But cutting out the coffee? Actually, I mostly drink tea and find it definetely helps.
http://www.susannelamb.com Susanne

BUT http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/#
http://leukocyt.com Paweł Durczok

Agree on some points (quitting smoking, dropping caffeine and alcohol, decluttering).

Disagree on other.
Reading before sleep – you engage your brain when it should be resting. Reading before sleep is bad practice if you value your rest.

Thinking less – I think you should focus your thoughts, not think less.

Quitting sugar is another odd one. Sugar provides body with energy and is not easily substituted with other type of nutrients.

Quitting dairy and switching balance towards plan-based food are also questionable. Seems more like fashion than common sense.
Alex Mathers

‘Food for thought’ Pawel, thank you! Some of these do require a certain amount of self-understanding and a personal viewpoint, so I can understand what you are saying.
Sarah

I agree with the Vitamin D comment, aka make sure to get some SUN! Reconnecting with nature for a few minutes a day really helps to keep that balance, and getting some of those good rays on your face just feels nice.

And in regards to the quitting sugar and caffeine tip that seem to have people up in debate about, I think it’s more about moderation and really cutting out any processed foods.

Thanks for the ideas and inspiration Alex!

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