How do famous creatives get so much done and avoid burnout? They build habits and productivity hacks to bounce back. Here are 10 productivity hacks of famous creative minds.
In this digital age, staying on task and avoiding distraction is harder than ever. Productivity has taken different forms and strategies throughout the years. Most recently, people have begun to realize the harmful effects of hustle culture and that better productivity comes from slowing down and doing less. A large part of better productivity comes from habits and routines that support healthy living, but it’s also important to personalize habits for better motivation and longevity.
Many famous creative minds share similar habits for staying productive, but the most productive ones come from personalization. Find habits that fit your style and personalize them to improve motivation. This personalization strategy can even aid in self-actualization. The more you understand yourself, the more productive you can become. This awareness also helps in identifying when it’s time to rest and adapt.
Work Standing Up - Ernest Hemingway
When it comes to productivity hacks, Ernest Hemingway has a long list of them. Despite His bad healthy habits, he did have a balance of some good healthy habits for creativity.
Sitting too much can be bad for your health. This is why more and more creatives are starting to use standing desks. Studies show standing desks can improve mood, boost energy, and may even help you live longer. More research is needed, but the practice is not new. Creative minds throughout history have adopted standing into their creative process, most notably Ernest Hemingway.
In the book, Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir, biographer AE Hotchner describes Hemingway’s Havana creative space, “He never worked at the desk. Instead, he used a stand-up workplace he had fashioned out of a bookcase near his bed.”
In 1954, George Plimpton interviewed Hemingway for The Paris Review and described his creative space in Cuba:
Ernest Hemingway writes in the bedroom of his house in the Havana suburb of San Francisco de Paula. He has a special workroom prepared for him in a square tower at the southwest corner of the house, but prefers to work in his bedroom, climbing to the tower room only when “characters” drive him up there…
The room is divided into two alcoves by a pair of chest-high bookcases that stand out into the room at right angles from opposite walls….
It is on the top of one of these cluttered bookcases—the one against the wall by the east window and three feet or so from his bed—that Hemingway has his “work desk”—a square foot of cramped area hemmed in by books on one side and on the other by a newspaper-covered heap of papers, manuscripts, and pamphlets. There is just enough space left on top of the bookcase for a typewriter, surmounted by a wooden reading board, five or six pencils, and a chunk of copper ore to weigh down papers when the wind blows in from the east window.
A working habit he has had from the beginning, Hemingway stands when he writes. He stands in a pair of his oversized loafers on the worn skin of a lesser kudu—the typewriter and the reading board chest-high opposite him.
More Examples
- Søren Kierkegaard
- Charles Dickens
- Winston Churchill
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Virginia Woolf
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Productivity Tips
- Remember to take breaks – Alternate between sitting and standing.
- Use arm support – Use soft padding to reduce pressure on wrists
- Find the perfect height – Adjust your desk and screen for better posture and comfort.
- Use a standing desk mat – Manage comfort and fatigue with small movement and support.
- Stretch and move – Pair standing with other healthy habits like stretching.
Power Naps for Creative Thinking - Salvador Dalí
Dalí has some of the most creative productivity hacks out there. He’s a great example of creative living, and his napping technique actually has scientific evidence behind its usefulness. However, his usual lack of sleeping habits is not very healthy.
Salvador Dalí hated to sleep, so he used micro naps to restore energy and creativity.
His productivity hack involved sleeping with a key in one hand above a metal plate, so when he fell asleep, the key would fall, hit the plate, and wake him up. He found this state between wakefulness and sleep helped restore energy and inspiration. This state is called hypnagogia. Its described as ‘dreaming while awake’ and can trigger divergent thinking.
More Examples
- Nikola Tesla
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Thomas Edison
- Aristotle
- Albert Einstein
Productivity Tips
- Keep power naps short and sweet – Try to keep your power nap between 10 and 20 minutes.
- Plan your power naps – Usually, the best time for a power nap is right after lunch when one experiences a slump in energy, for example, between 12:30 or 2 p.m.
- Find a good sleep environment – It’s best to keep your sleep environment dark, quiet, and cool.
- Don’t hit the snooze button – Wake up immediately and get to some creative thinking.
- Get up to turn off the alarm – Help yourself wake up by putting your alarm clock across the room so you have to get up to turn it off.
Walks in Nature - Charles Dickens
Long walks in nature have been a staple habit for many creative minds. Charles Dickens, in particular, loved taking long walks. He routinely walked as many as 20 miles a day, and once, he even walked from his house in London to his country residence in Gad’s Hill, Kent, 30 miles away.
Walking wasn’t only a good habit for his health. It was a crucial part of his creative process and valuable productivity hack. He walked every day to observe the world and find new descriptors and inspiration for his stories.
He once wrote about the inspiration he got from walking in Paris, “Wandering into Hospitals, Prisons, Dead-houses, Operas, Theatres, Concert-rooms, Burial-grounds, Palaces, and Wine Shops. In my unoccupied fortnight of each month, every description of gaudy and ghastly sight has been passing before me in rapid Panorama.”
More Examples
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Mark Twain
- Aristotle
- William Wordsworth
- Henry David Thoreau
- John Muir
Productivity Tips
- Use your walk to brainstorm – Take problems with you on walks to think about and solve.
- Practice walking meditation – Turn walks into meditation with breathing techniques and mindfulness.
- Learn something new – Listen to podcasts and audiobooks while you walk.
Work Early - Sylvia Plath
Mornings are a great time for creative work and one of the best productivity hacks to get more done. Most people aren’t awake, so there are fewer distractions, and if you have a day job, you can get work done before the day begins. Many creative minds choose mornings to do their creative work for these reasons and more.
Sylvia Plath is one famous example of a dedicated morning creative. She would try to write as much as she could before her children woke up. She would often start writing at 4 am and work until 8 am when her children woke up.
More Examples
- Nelson Mandela
- Ernest Hemingway
- Georgia O’Keeffe
- Haruki Murakami
- Francis Bacon
- Kurt Vonnegut
Productivity Tips
- Morning Habits to Inspire Creativity and Healthy Living
- Prepare the night before
- Exercise to boost mood and energy
- Spend some time in quiet, like meditation
Brainstorming With a Musical Instrument - Albert Einstein
No matter your age, learning to play an instrument or pairing playing while you brainstorm has a long list of benefits for the creative mind. Many famous creatives have used musical instruments to help them with problem-solving and the creative process.
Most notably, Albert Einstein frequently played classical music as a brainstorming technique. For this productivity hack, he would play Mozart and other great classics while occasionally writing down notes and ideas.
This idea of playing a musical instrument helps with the incubation phase of the creative process, where the creative steps away to let the mind rest and find insights into new information to form novel connections.
More Examples
- Charles Dickens – Accordion
- Ansel Adams – Piano
- Thomas Edison – Piano
- Jane Austen – Piano
Productivity Tips
- Learn classical music – A 2007 study found evidence that music, especially classical music, may help your brain absorb and interpret new information more easily. Other studies also point to classical music as a way to enhance problem-solving.
- Play music that brings you joy – Not a fan of classical music? Don’t let that stop you from enjoying the benefits of musical brainstorming. A 2017 study found that happy music, especially music that makes you happy, can spark divergent thinking.
- Play/listen to upbeat tempo music – Many studies have measured the effects of different musical tempos on creativity, learning, and productivity. Dr. Emma Gray, a cognitive-behavioral therapist that worked with Spotify, found 50 to 80 BPM to be optimal while others have said 60 to 80. Either way, it seems the consensus is that faster upbeat music may be better for sparking creative thinking.
Record Your Daily Successes and Frustrations - Benjamin Franklin
Mornings have long been a time for creativity. Since most creatives don’t have the full day to spend on creative projects and the procrastination in-between, mornings are the perfect opportunity to work towards creative goals and set the foundation for a productive day.
Benjamin Franklin is a great example of setting the foundation for a productive day by waking up early to write out and plan his day and recording success and failures to make improvements.
By setting goals and tasks for the day, you can better manage time and measure your success and failures for further motivation. As the day comes to an end, review your work. What worked and helped you stay productive and what didn’t? How can you improve tomorrow?
More Examples
- Albert Einstein
- Marie Curie
- Thomas Edison
- Mark Twain
- Frida Kahlo
- Leonardo da Vinci
Productivity Tips
- MIT’s – Set the 3 most important tasks of the day to add purpose, direction, and focus for the day.
- Track Gratitude – Instead of living in the past or future, focus on the moment with gratitude and cultivate a growth mindset to overcome challenges.
- Try different journaling techniques – Like any healthy or productive habit, personalizing it will improve the longevity of the habit and the results.
Set and Manage Smart Goals - Bruce Lee
Goals are important even when dealing with abstract areas of creativity. Learning to set SMART goals can lead to self-actualization, measuring progress, and motivating action. Creatives like Bruce Lee used goals to drive them forward and stay persistent in the face of challenges.
If you want to set goals that will improve your creativity and help you reach your dreams, get specific in all areas of your creative life and measure, refine, and adjust regularly.
It’s also important to practice compassion with your goal setting. As Bruce Lee said, “A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.” Not all goals are meant to be reached. When you fail to meet a goal, instead of letting the negative thoughts arise, challenge it with compassion and perspective to readjust your approach and what’s important.
Visualize where you want to be and let your goals act as a compass, guiding you forward and take actions that will get you there.
More Examples
- Stephen King – small daily writing goals
- Albert Einstein – Tie goals that lead to a happy life
Productivity Tips
- Set SMART Goals – Set S.M.A.R.T goals, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goals.
- Track progress, optimize, and simplify – As you move towards achieving your goals, you’ll learn new things about yourself and the process, refine and optimize regularly to help you achieve your goals.
- Visualize – Remember your why and where you want to be and let your goals act as a compass, guiding you forward and take actions that will get you there.
- How to Set Creative Travel Goals
- How to Use Trello as a Creative – Check out the free creative goals template
Headstands for Creative Flow - Igor Stravinsky
New perspectives are a powerful tool in the creative process. When trying to solve problems or find novel solutions seeing a problem from a new perspective can lead to creative thinking.
Igor Stravinsky, the boundary-bending Russian composer, liked to take this practice literally by doing headstands for 10-15 minutes. He said he did this to clear his head before writing and thinking up new music.
If you’re having trouble with a creative problem, seek new perspectives, even if you literally have to look at it from a new angle.
More Examples
- Sting
- Lady Gaga
- Madonna
- Russel Simmons
Productivity Tips
- Stuck on a problem? Go for a walk – Studies show nature has many positive effects on health and even improve creative thinking.
- Rework a problem from a new perspective – Try alter ego brainstorming, where you imagine how a creative mind you respect would approach the problem.
- Switch to another activity to clear your mind – Stepping away from a creative problem helps a person internalize it into the unconscious mind so unique insights and connections can be made.
Turn Your Car Into a Creative Space - Georgia O'Keeffe
When people think about creative spaces, few think outside their studio or home, but a creative space doesn’t have to fit the regular model. Even small details in other rooms, changing your space like cafes and cars can aid the creative process.
One notable creative who made their car a creative space is Georgia O’Keeffe, who liked to paint in the backseat of her Model-A Ford. Because of her travels and health challenges, for her to be productive, she practiced many healthy habits and needed to be able to paint whenever inspiration struck. She also needed to be undisturbed and have the freedom, security, and control for her creativity to flow.
Homes can create this safety and control, but cars can provide unique environments and elements to unleash creative flow. This helped her travel to inspiring landscapes, which have benefits for creativity and health, and provided the solitude she needed to paint.
More Examples
- Jerry Seinfeld
- John Lennon
- Ralph Lauren
- Eric Clapton
Productivity Tips
- How to Make a Creative Workspace
- Personalize – Studies show autonomy and freedom can improve well-being and job satisfaction. Make a creative space your adds comfort and support other factors that spark creative productivity.
- Drive to interesting places – Nature and travel do wonderful things for creativity and support elements such as openness to experiences and divergent thinking when you experience new things.
- Change your creative space – Whether you rearrange your space or move to a new one, mixing things up can spark creative thinking and flow.
Push Ups and Sit Ups - Kurt Vonnegut
It’s no argument that regular exercise is good for you, but is it good for creativity? The short answer is yes, and throughout history, creative minds have tried different forms of exercise to boost their creativity, some more unique than others.
Kurt Vonnegut is a great example of mixing exercise right into the creative process. In a 1965 letter to his wife, Jane, Vonnegut details his daily routine and says, “I do pushups and sit-ups all the time, and feel as though I am getting lean and sinewy.” He would also go on daily walks and swim for half an hour every day. Putting exercise into a daily routine for creativity not only keeps one healthy and energetic but also plays a role in the creative process.
Studies show that regular exercise seems to be associated with improved divergent and convergent thinking. It’s also a great way to improve mood.
More Examples
- Haruki Murakami – Running
- Benjamin Franklin – Swimming
- Ernest Hemingway – Boxing
- Oliver Sacks – Swimming
Productivity Tips
- Best Apps To Stay Healthy and Creative
- Running helps creativity – Studies show running can sharpen your focus and critical thinking skills.
- Swimming boosts brain health and performance – A growing body of research suggests swimming can improve memory, cognitive function, mood, and even repair damage from stress and forge new neural connections in the brain.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
