Today I would like to share with you what I learned about enhancing my creative thinking on a rainy Matagalpa day.
You know, it is really great to have a daily routine that encourages you to apply valuable steps to your personal or business goals. But sometimes the day-in-and-day-out routine tends to stagnate your creativity.
Discover Who You Are
I am very blessed to live in Nicaragua where I help my husband in missionary work, allowing me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.
We live with our children in the Northern Province called Matagalpa where we enjoy a mild tropical environment.
Housekeeping is very affordable so I do not have to worry about it, freeing up my time to jump online. Not having to worry about housekeeping also gives me the opportunity to set a nice daily routine.
But after a while I find that in my routine I become easily distracted. The day-in-day-out routine makes me feel bored. The fact is I am very much a creative thinker. My mind is constantly on the move.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to have a routine. It helps me gauge my day and plan it out. But I have discovered who I really am. I am creative. In some cases my mind gets highly engaged and perhaps even a bit over productive. So, I need to channel creativity correctly.
Are you a creative thinker, an idea maker?
Then you need to express that in your daily routine otherwise you may find yourself like me spending money on the next “shiny object” because it engages your creative thinking.
This chasing of a new idea has more to do with your need to engage your creative mind in a productive manner toward your success.
Know Your Routine
Your daily routine needs to consist of productive activities that you will implement to advance your desired goals. If you do not have such a routine I highly recommend you begin there.
Ask yourself, what will it take in order for you to accomplish your desired goals? Make a sincere evaluation. Here is a good time for you to head back to my freelance writer tips post. You can take what I share there and apply it in principle to other areas of your life.
A good evaluation of yourself and knowing your daily routine will help you identify what is essential to your business and personal goals. You can then develop a routine where you focus on high impacting activities that will make a difference in your intended goals.
When you know the actions you desire to implement in your routine, then you are ready to take the next step. This step will help you vent your creativity in a productive manner.
Although, what I am about to share with you may sound contrary to what I am saying here…it isn’t. So please read the following very carefully.
Turn Off the Routine
Yes, you read it correctly once you know what action steps you plan to accomplish in your routine and you have consistently applied them, then turn off your routine.
Let me illustrate with something that recently happened to me on a Matagalpa rainy day.
Rainy season finally hit after an unusual long dry spell. There is nothing like hearing rain so loud on tin roofs that you can hardly hear yourself think.
On this particular day we experienced a power out that lasted most of the afternoon. I couldn’t go online. My laptop battery only last so lone. So, there I was totally out of my routine with still some things to get done.
I found myself sitting on my rocking chair quietly enjoying the rain that was now a soft sprinkle, sipping on my favorite Nicaraguan gourmet coffee.
I wondered, “Now what do I do?”
I started thinking of my routine. Most of what I had to do that particular day required that I be logged on to the internet, which was not possible. Then I remembered that in my routine, later this week, I needed to write a blog post.
Although I was enjoying the moments of relaxation, I wanted to be productive and my creative mind began to engage. I quickly picked up my notepad and pen.
Which by the way, this is the very post I wrote. In my notepad I wrote a lot more than what I was able to include. Which gave me a head start on another post idea 
Granted my notes on paper had a lot of “chicken scratches” but I was impressed at how easily my creative thoughts flowed. All because my routine was turned off.
Planning Your Next Creative Thinking Venture
This circumstance in my life, where the power went out, was totally out of my control. But I learned that when you turn off your routine, you can turn on your creative thinking. You also do not have to sacrifice productivity or your pocket book.
Sure I still had to type it, but my blog thoughts where clearly written out for this touch typist to do. Better yet, if my daughter had not been ill then I would have hire her to type it out for me.
For me, thinking what to write is half the battle. Writing on the notepad with a pen helped me solidify my thoughts, making the most of a mishap.
This is why it is so important for you to know your routine and the actions steps you plan to take. It allows you to be flexible. If something comes up then you can figure what the next thing you can get done despite your circumstances. Excuses become a thing of the past and you can advance forward.
For those of you who do not live in Nicaragua and do not experience regular power-outs
how about planning to write your next blog post on a notepad with a pen or pencil away from your PC? See if this makes a difference in your creative thoughts and productivity.
If you prefer using your laptop then change your routine location. Head to your favorite spot at the beach, local park or somewhere else in or outside your home. See if your creative thinking starts flowing when you do that.
Every once in a while I recommend you turn off your day-to-day routine. A change of scenery is great for your creative mind where you don’t sacrifice on productivity.
So, how will you purposely turn off your routine to turn on your creative thinking in your next action step?
Please write your comments below.
To your Success,
~Ann Moore (Mom Internet)
