[...]... both the problem and the solution to your day-to-day challenges No matter where you work or what horrible top-down systems plague your work, your mind and energy are yours and yours alone You can surrender your day-to-day and the potential of your work to the burdens that surround you Or, you can audit the way you work and own the responsibility of fixing it This book offers many deep and powerful insights... sitting and doing nothing else for at least a few minutes A great place to build this into your daily routine is as soon as you wake up—get up, drink some water, and then sit and meditate for five, ten, or even twenty minutes before you start your day How do you meditate? Find a quiet space and sit Stay upright, keep your eyes open but not focused on anything in particular, and breathe through your nose... consistent intervals—ideally every day—to build creative muscle and momentum over time PULSE AND PAUSE Move rhythmically between spending and renewing your energy by working in ninety-minute bursts and then taking a break GET LONELY Make a point of spending some time alone each day It’s a way to observe unproductive habits and thought processes, and to calm your mind DON’T WAIT FOR MOODS Show up, whether... optimizing your day-to-day rhythms You’ll likely find that your work habits have drifted to accommodate your surroundings rather than to meet your preferences Use this book as an opportunity to reassess Take a rare pause from your incessant doing to rethink how you do what you do Only by taking charge of your day-to-day can you truly make an impact in what matters most to you I urge you to build a better... anything in particular, and breathe through your nose Start by noticing your posture, your body Then focus your attention on your breath, as it comes in and out of your body Notice your thoughts coming up, acknowledge them, but don’t engage with them Always return your attention to your breath Keep doing this for at least a few minutes, and you’re done What’s the point of sitting? There is no point—sitting... project from scratch, and it’s also hard each time you re-enter a project after a break By working every day, you keep your momentum going You never have time to feel detached from the process You never forget your place, and you never need to waste time reviewing your work to get back up to speed or reminding yourself what you’ve already done Because your project is fresh in your mind, it’s easy to pick... promoting strong business practices in the creative industry Throughout my travels for Behance and in researching my book, Making Ideas Happen, I have spoken with countless creative people and teams about their projects and careers With designers, writers, and entrepreneurs of all kinds, I have tried to advocate for the roll-up -your- sleeves productivity and management skills required to push ideas to... notice the urge to switch tasks and not act on that urge, but just return your attention to the task at hand This is what you learn in solitude, and it is everything LEO BABAUTA is a simplicity blogger and author He created Zen Habits, a top blog; mnmlist.com; and the bestselling books Focus, The Power of Less, and The Effortless Life → www.zenhabits.net KEY TAKEAWAYS – Building a Rock-Solid Routine... EVERYTHING ELSE Do your most meaningful creative work at the beginning of your day, and leave “reactive work”—like responding to e-mail or other messages—for later JUMP-START YOUR CREATIVITY Establish “associative triggers”—such as listening to the same music or arranging your desk in a certain way—that tell your mind it’s time to get down to work FEEL THE FREQUENCY Commit to working on your project at... stepping outside of it, find your focus by rising above the constant cacophony, and sharpen your creative prowess by analyzing what really matters most when it comes to making your ideas happen Mantesh Woody Allen once said that 80 percent of success is showing up Having written and directed fifty films in almost as many years, Allen clearly knows something about accomplishment How, when, and where you show . to your day-to-day challenges. No matter where you work or what horrible top-down systems plague your work, your mind and energy are yours and yours alone. You can surrender your day-to-day and. must master to succeed: building a rock-solid daily routine, taming your tools (before they tame you), finding focus in a distracted world, and sharpening your creative mind. Dedicating a chapter. Taming Your Tools CHAPTER FOUR - SHARPENING YOUR CREATIVE MIND Creating For You, and You Alone by Todd Henry Training Your Mind to Be Ready for Insight by Scott McDowell Q&A: Tricking Your