Here's all the stuff I suck at

I’ve had a particularly creative couple of days.

For the past couple of years, any time that this happens, I take note of it.

Particularly, I will note:

• What I’ve been eating

• What I’m doing fitness-wise

• Sleep patterns

• Anything else that may be contributing

And the reason is, I would love to be able to replicate this state at the drop of a hat.

Excess time to spend with family because I’m getting work done sooner, writing sessions that are super fruitful, energy to make gains in the gym, etc.

Who wouldn’t want to be able to turn that on like a switch?

This time, it seems there is a combination of things:

• Sun exposure: we’ve been going to the waterpark/beach at least 2x a week for extended sessions (2-3 hours at a time). This seems to have an HUGE affect on my creativity.

• Workout frequency: I’ve been doing 4x workouts a week. This is up from my typical 3x. It seems the extra day makes a difference.

• Diet: I’ve been focusing on whole foods, and eating the same meal every day. This is seems to be working.

• Meditation: I’ve fallen off the meditation wagon pretty hard in recent months. However, in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing it 2/3x. Again, HUGE change in my levels of peace. Going to work on making it a daily practice again.

This particular combo seems to be extra optimal.

So, I’m going to start trying to do more of the same.

On the other side of the coin, there are some things I could be doing better:

• Sleep: I’m getting about 5-6 hours a night. For me, 7-8 is optimal.

• Screen time: This is getting out of hand. I’m constantly on my phone. Gonna try to cut this in half going forward.

• Reading: my book reading time is also down. Would like to start scheduling time for this. My goal is to replace evening phone time with book reading.

At the end of the day, we should all be focusing on the activities and environments that give us increased energy, which can then be diverted to creative pursuits.

This is just a behind the scenes look at what I’m working on, but I hope this reflection has been helpful to you as you figure out your own optimal routine/conditions.

I’d love to hear what your optimal actions are each day!

See you tomorrow,

Swanagan