7 Habits of Very Creative People To Inspire Your Everyday Work

You can wait until inspiration strikes. Or your muse arrives. Or you can start fostering your imagination today by developing a creative habit.

Here are 7 ways to find, nurture and maintain a creative habit which will invariably (speaking from experience and from watching my friends at work) increase your creative output.

1. Find the right time

My creative time is dawn. I wasn't always a morning person but, after I had my kids, I taught myself to be one. Early morning is quiet and free of distractions. 5:00-6:00AM is a short, precious window of time that cannot be wasted with dilly dallying (or email), plus my brain is fresh but not awake enough to be too judgmental (being judgmental gets in the way of creativity). And I am better for it, the rest of the day.

- Create a time: Find your time, with little or no distractions (no email, phone, co-workers, kids) and make it regular, same time, same place, to think creatively everyday. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks to make it into a habit, after which you can't do without it.

2. Set a limit

English novelist Graham Greene wrote 500 words everyday, stopped and didn't think about it until the next morning. I've loved this idea ever since I read Michael Korda's profile of Greene in the New Yorker in 1996, imagining his life between those 500 words feeding his writing. Michael Korda noted that,

"Greene's self-discipline was such that, no matter what, he always stopped at five hundred words, even if it left him in the middle of a sentence."

- Determine a limit: number of pages, words, sketches, images, amount of time--and do exactly that much creativity per day. Watch them add up, to an article, a book, a product, a film.

3. Have a starting cue

Choreographer Twyla Tharp hops in a cab at 5am every morning to go to her gym. She is half asleep but by the time she is in the cab it is too late, she is in forward motion to her creative place. I make tea as soon as I am out of bed and by the time I pour myself a cup with my cookie (a reward), I'm ready to open my sketchbook and start sketching.

- Create your entry point--making tea, putting on music, wearing a hat, walking the dog, hopping into a cab--that literally pushes you into your creative habit and marks the beginning of your creative time.

4. Start humble

Starting is half the battle and starting small, humbly, is really the only way to start. I started this article a few days ago with a title, a few sentences and some jumbled notes. And that makes all the difference because once you've started you can continue. It is out of your head and into the world.

- Have the creative habit of starting small--build little by little from there. Waiting for the big idea, fully formed and ready, is a myth. At least in my case (and I believe the same is try for most of us)!

5. Go for a walk

Beloved illustrator and author Maira Kalman's makes a great case for walking, her creative habit, "Walking clears your brain and fills your soul and makes it quite happy actually." And she is not alone--Steve Jobs of course was famous for his walks.

- Take a walk--alone or with someone to reflect, think through ideas, get inspired and observe life around you.

6. Give yourself a sabbatical

Graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister has many creative habits, but the one that is quite unique is his creative sabbatical. Stefan takes a year off from his commercial clients every 7 years and uses his sabbatical to think creatively on his own time. His beautiful film, the Happy Film, which explores three things that make people happy--meditation, cognitive psychology, drugs--started during a sabbatical and took him an epic 7 years to finish, bringing him to his next year off!

- Give yourself a creative sabbatical--you decide how much time you can set aside: maybe not a whole year but maybe a month, or 3 hours every Friday afternoon, or every 2 weeks. This is your time to doodle, research, do a project that interests you. No clients, no boss, no deadlines.

7. Wait until you run out things to do

Richard Ford is one of my favorite writers. In a 1999 New York Times article, he said that he does nothing for long periods of time until he runs out of other things to do. Then he starts writing.

"I simply choose to do it, often when I can't be persuaded to do anything else; or when a dank feeling of uselessness comes over me, and I'm at a loss and have some time on my hands, such as when the World Series is over." -Richard Ford

I love this creative habit even though I am ill-suited for it. But for all of you who can afford to do it, it's worth a consideration. Especially if the results will be to the level of Ford's art.

- Don't do anything creative--use that time to reflect, live life, collect material and knowledge intentionally or intuitively for the next round. Until you run out of things to do. Then be creative. Fully and with no holes barred!

My creative habit is a combination of all of the above. I wake up early, make tea, do a little something creative everyday for an hour, go for walks in New York City, treat my vacations as sabbaticals and even have periods where I do nothing creative until I crave being creative again.

How about you? What is your creative habit? I would love to hear from you.

Design the life and work you love!

How to Apply Leadership Teachings at Home

You wouldn't think you'd learn lessons about being a better mother from an executive. But that's exactly what happened when I met Alan Mulally at the 100 Coaches seminar run by Marshall Goldsmith. Alan is the legendary Ford Company CEO who was responsible for turning the auto giant from the brink of bankruptcy.

Here are 3 sets of lessons, one from Alan's mother I've since adopted; one from Alan's own corporate vision, People First; and the last set from his family rituals.

Lesson Set #1:

Alan Mulally said that his mother repeated 3 things to him every day, over and over again, like a mantra:

• The purpose of life is to love and be loved, in that order.
• To serve is to live.
• It is nice to be important, but more important to be nice.

When Alan shared these simple but profound sentences with us I took them home and told my children I learned these three lessons from a friend. I now repeat them to my kids so that they will be ingrained in their minds and hearts. But honestly it is as much for them as it is a reminder for me.

These mantras are all interconnected. You need to be nice to be loved. Success comes from being at the service of others. And to be at the service of people, you need to love them. That brings me to what Alan taught us next:

Lesson Set #2:

People first. This is the first line from the Principles and Practices section from Alan's Working Together Management System. Everything else flows from this essential principle. In other words, nothing else matters if you don't put people first.

For Alan People first is embodied in his leadership behavior in different ways--

• As a leader, you need to enable people to learn
• You let everybody know the plan
• If everybody knows the plan, you're showing vulnerability, authenticity and trust
• Be clear, because if you don't understand it, neither will they
• Talk less and listen more
• Ask people what they think of you, because you can work with those gems
• Be consistent

It is intuitive for me to put people first for my family. Having said that, I know I can be a better mom if I practice each of the above consistently. Especially talking less and listening more! Having everybody in my family know the plan makes so much sense yet I have to admit we often don't talk about the plan. And asking my family what they think of me takes courage but it also means I am willing to change. These are things I will be working on.

Lesson Set #3:

Alan, who has 5 kids, also shared how he applied his famous Business Plan Review (which he credits for his ability to turn around Ford Company) with his family. Consistently, every Sunday, he, his wife and their kids had a routine:

• Put everything back in your room
• Do laundry and sort socks for 7 people!
• Review everyone's schedule for next week and what they need schedule it in your work schedule
• And he gave this valuable tip for parents of teens--"if you're going to do something that will affect the whole family, let's talk about it!"
• Pass out allowances.

My goal for 2017 is to apply this with my family. I love the consistency of the review (and for my family the hardest part will be the consistency of doing it every Sunday but I will try); sitting around the table to plan our week so that everyone knows the plan (which reinforces Everyone knowing the plan from lesson set #2), and reinforcing the idea that we're all interconnected and that one thing that you do can effect the whole family.

Thank you Alan Mulally for being a hero to me and sharing your life lessons. And a shout out for my friend Marshall Goldsmith, author of the Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Triggers, who introduced me to Alan and brought us together. Lessons I have learned from Marshall will be next!

Do you have lessons you've learned as a leader that you're applying in your family? I would love to learn from you.

Design the life and work you love!

The 4-Step Design Thinking Process You Can Use to Revamp Your Work

There is a myth that to be truly creative you need no process. False! Actually process is what separates truly creative people, repeat creatives, from the rest. In our studio, we have a rallying cry: TRUST THE PROCESS!

My design process is Deconstruction:Reconstruction. It is based on my experience of designing award winning products, systems and experiences, everything from office furniture for Herman Miller to kitchen utensils and tools for Target and washlets (toilet seats with bidets) for TOTO.

Deconstruction:Reconstruction has 4 simple steps that can help you to think differently about anything with optimism and creativity, even your work.

Note: Before you get started, do a simple warm-up exercise to wake up your right, creative brain. Here are my 32 easy exercises that will take you 15 minutes or less that you can choose from.

STEP 1: DECONSTRUCTION. Taking the whole apart.

Here is my work, deconstructed. CREDIT: Ayse Birsel

Deconstruction is not a new idea. Even Rene Descartes, the French philosopher, mathematician and scientist, talked about it in the 16th century: "Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."

This step takes that same approach.

Start by mapping out the main building blocks of your work, things like collaborators, time, places, purpose, strengths, earnings. Then continue to deconstruct each building block into smaller parts and pieces until you run out of things to note.

Take a look. Did you note love? Make sure you have love. How about money? 80% of people who've deconstructed their work forget to include money!

Now note your AHA!'s: those things that surprised you. Here are some of the most common of these insights:

• Being your own biggest stumbling block and the need to get out of your own way;
• Work becoming a rat race (bigger car, bigger house, bigger salary) and the need to reconnect with your real purpose (helping others achieve a dream, giving without expecting something in return, doing what you love);
• That all the pieces that matter are there and what you need is to be mindful of what you already have.

Seeing the parts and pieces, you can decide what you want to keep, what you want to delete or change, what you want to have more or less of, and you can identify the new connections you can make between the parts. Which brings us to our next steps.

Step 2: POINT OF VIEW. Seeing the same things differently.

Example of Heroes Exercise by Alexander Osterwalder, Co-Founder Strategyzer and inventor of the Business Model Canvas. His heroes made him “realize even more how much I love creating stuff!”. CREDIT: Alexander Osterwalder

The goal here is to look at the same things from a new perspective. This to me is the heart of creativity and inspiration is the perfect tool for it.

Think about people who inspire you at work. Make a list: note their names, draw a little icon or symbol for them, and write their qualities in detail.

Marshall Goldsmith, the author of the best-selling business book Triggers, came to my workshop and realized that his heroes were his teachers who had taught him what they knew without asking for anything in return: Peter Drucker, Frances Hesselbein, Buddha. Marshall decided to do the same and started the 100 Coaches Project to teach what he has learned from his teachers to 100 CEO's, entrepreneurs and leaders for free. His only requirement: give back and teach what you know for free to others when it is your turn. Full disclosure: I am one of the first 25 of 100 Coaches!

Marshall's heroes reconnected him with his purpose and inspired him to start one of the most important projects of his life.

What do your heroes tell you about your own values and what matters to you. What do they inspire you to do differently at work?

Step 3: RECONSTRUCTION. Putting it back together.

Reconstruction teaches us the key to doing more with less. You can’t have everything but you can be intentional about what you choose to have in order to create something unique. CREDIT: Ayse Birsel

Reconstructing your work is about making choices about what you want in your work, knowing you can't have everything (we simply don't have enough, time, energy or resources).

Pick 3 things that you want in your work, the work you love. Note: The number 3 is an intentional constraint to remind you that you cannot have everything. It also helps you focus on what really matters.

Here is a cheat sheet, from participants of my Design the Work You Love workshops. Add your own using the inspiration from your heroes and insights from your Deconstruction:

• Act from an authentic place
• Constantly evolving
• Persevere
• Grace under pressure
• Fearless determination
• The ability to walk to your own drum
• Act with integrity
• Save lives
• Have your own voice
• Be a consummate teacher
• Redefine the way something is done
• Longevity
• Mindful
• Generous
• Inclusive
• Full of humility
• Curious
• Fearlessly pursue your dreams
• Courageous
• Audacious
• Kick ass
• Be the best at what you love
• Add yours here...

Your choices are the foundation of the work you love.

Step 4: EXPRESSION. Giving it form.

Steph Stepan expressed herself as Big Bird from Sesame Street, tall, strong and gentle, which led her to ask: “What does this look like in my inner and outer life? What makes me fly? What does my Sesame Street look like?” CREDIT: Steph Stepan

Now that you have the essential ingredients of your work, you need to give it form. You can express your new vision of work by drawing and writing about it.

Steph Stephan from Amsterdam, who was a participant in one of my Design the Life You Love workshops, drew herself as Big Bird, from Sesame Street, and wrote the 3 qualities she wants to embody everyday:

• I STAND TALL! By sharing what I believe in; knowing what I have to contribute; acting with integrity.
• I AM STRONG!! I show up, even when I am scared; I keep my body healthy; I am honest--my litmus test.
• I AM GENTLE! I welcome people; I assume the best in people; I am kind to myself (I try).

Now it is your turn. Draw yourself as you want to see yourself at work--Big Bird, Katy Perry(my vision is to be the Katy Perry of Design the Life You Love), a tree, Little Buddha, and identify your key qualities. Then do this daily exercise: plan how you can embody your 3 key qualities every day before work to help you be intentional about bringing these qualities to life.

Go ahead and design the work you love in 2017. Prototype it, enlist your friends and team to collaborate with you on it. Test it for a year. A year from today, you can take your notes and drawings out and see what worked, what you'd like to change as you continue to redesign the work you love.

Keep me posted! I would love to hear from you about your work design for 2017.

Design the life and work you love!

How to Enhance Your Creativity Everyday

For a lot of people, creativity is a talent that few people have.

For me, creativity is a skill we all have and can improve with regular exercise.

"Creativity is not just for artists. It's for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it's for engineers trying to solve a problem; it's for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way."--Twyla Tharp

Here are 32 simple, daily exercises you can choose from to enhance your creativity. They are short workouts for your right brain, often with nothing more than a pen and some paper (my tools are the Pilot Bravo! pen and a Moleskine sketchbook) and playfulness.

To make it into a habit, schedule "15 minutes of creativity" into your calendar and try a different exercise each day.

1. Draw something--fruit, your coffee cup, your dog, cat, children--for 5-10 minutes. Just draw, don't judge and don't erase.
2. Draw an apple a day using a different technique each day, for a week. My friend Ken Carbone did this daily, for 365 days.
3. Buy a set of color pencils. Draw parallel lines freehand or with a ruler. Color them in a la Paul Smith.
4. Use a drawing program on your i-Pad, my favorite is SketchPad, to draw half of something and have the mirror effect draw the other half. Try symmetrical things like bottles, vases, forks, pencils.
5. Take your sketchbook to a concert and sketch or write ideas that pop into your head as you're listening to music.
6. Make something new, funny or weird with objects lying on your desk.
7. Collect a bunch of things from your recycling bin. Combine them together to make an abstract sculpture. Use a hot glue gun or lots of tape to hold it together.
8. Look up a word in the dictionary, and then look up the word before and after. Make up a short story using the three words (loosely inspired by Twyla Tharp, from her book The Creative Habit).
9. Make new things with paper clips (earrings, letters of the alphabet, a heart). See how many things you can make in 5 minutes.
10. Find one thing that starts with the first letter of your first name and another with the first letter of your last name. Mash them together to make a new thing: Apple for Ayse + Bus for Birsel = Apple shaped bus. Draw it.
11. Draw something on your desk, i.e. your stapler, without looking at your hand in 5 minutes. Cover your hand and drawing with a paper towel to not cheat. When done, take away the towel. Tadaaa! You'll be amazed.
12. Pick a song you love and sing it with new lyrics.
13. Write a poem about your day in the style of your favorite poet (Maya Angelou for example).
14. Take a photo, or a selfie, open it in Photoshop or PowerPoint and write HELLO! in large letters in a fun font, save as PDF and attach it to your emails for the day.
15. Take a compound word made up of two words. Separate them. Replace one of the words with a new word to make up new compound word. List as many combinations as you can.
16. Go to a museum with your sketchbook and draw a painting or a sculpture that inspires you (if you can't take the time, go outside your door and draw a tree or a mailbox). It doesn't matter how crude or crooked your drawing and I guarantee that you will never forget what you just drew.
17. Write something you want to solve in your notebook before you go to sleep. Sleep on your problem and let your subconscious do the work. When you wake up, ideate in your notebook.
18. Look at clouds and imagine them as things, just like when you were a kid.
19. Borrow your kid's Playdo and make a sculpture for 15 minutes. Use Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi or Brancusi as inspiration.
20. Next borrow your kids Legos and make a plan for your dream house, pool included. You can also do this virtually on Minecraft.
21. Cover your table completely with large easel paper. Draw on it large, free style, stream of consciousness, using a Sharpie (make sure Sharpie doesn't seep through) for 10 minutes or until the whole table is covered. Tape it all together and tack it on your wall.
22. Take 5 minutes to write a haiku (Japanese style 3 line poem with a 5-7-5 syllable structure) about your day or night.
23. Next time you're cooking, change a key ingredient and experiment.
24. Gather materials (foil, q-tips, wire pipe cleaners, colorful paper or post-its, paper clips, some string, buttons, pushpins, and any other odds and ends) and glue them together to make something. If you have young kids, do this together.
25. Channel Stefan Sagmeister, the graphic designer and author of Things I have learned in my life so far. Formulate your life's motto and write it in sugar or salt, or with flowers, or make a sketch of how you'd like to write it in a forest or across a pool.
26. Mash up very new and very old technology and play with new ideas. Uber + Horse Carts. Apple Watch + Sun dial. Write and draw them.
27. Do any page of Keri Smith's Wreck This Journal. My favorite: FIGURE OUT A WAY TO ATTACH THESE TWO PAGES.
28. Print a portrait of someone you love or admire. Put tracing paper over it and redraw their face. Don't judge and don't erase. Try this with your own face for a self-portrait.
29. Collect branches that look like letters on one of your hikes and write your name with them when you're home. Take a photo and post on Instagram.
30. Draw something without lifting your pen.
31. Learn how to draw something realistically, like an eye on this YouTube tutorial (this will take more than 15 minutes).
32. Take a different route home and take photographs of the new things you see along the way. Post on Instagram, #creativeeveryday.

Here is what I've learned from these creative warm-ups: my thinking continues to be more flexible and multi-dimensional throughout the day. I approach work challenges with less fear and more playfully; I'm more open to see things in new and unexpected ways... Andthat makes all the difference.

How about you? Do you have some favorite creative exercises? I would love to hear from you.

Design the life and work you love!