Inspiration Strikes Everyday at 9am

One thing I’ve learned about creativity, and my own writing, is that inspiration strikes me like clockwork every day at 9 AM.

I sit down at my favorite café, order a black drip coffee, and the ideas come to me like a magnet. I’ve come to realize that this is when I’m most alert, most creative, and most motivated to think and generate ideas.

During the week, that energy goes toward my job. But on weekends, I channel it into creative work. If I catch the wave in the morning, I can easily come up with multiple strong ideas. But if I wait until the afternoon or evening, it takes me two or three times as long. My energy just isn’t the same.

That’s what creative discipline looks means to me. Showing up at the same place, at the same time, with the same routine and trusting that the work will come. It’s also why I take my routine so seriously. I protect that time no matter what.