I’ve been reading a lot about creativity lately. Most authors stress the importance of routine, predictability, solitude, and organization as the key ingredients for generating meaningful creative output. This has really challenged me to get serious about how I structure my time.

i.e. Here is a quote from The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp:

“I wake at 5:30 A.M., head across town for a workout at the gym (for fourteen years with the same trainer). I repeat the wake-up, the workout, the quick shower, the breakfast of three hard-boiled egg whites and a cup of coffee, the hour to make my morning calls and deal with correspondence, the two hours of stretching and working out ideas by myself in the studio, the rehearsals with my dance company, the return home in the late afternoon to handle more business details, the early dinner, and a few quiet hours of reading. That’s my day, every day.”

Now obviously, I’m in a different season of life than Tharp. She does not have young children to care for and I don’t believe she’s married. Nonetheless, her structure and dedication to her craft has inspired me to do better.