updated 11d ago
Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition)
On most mornings I’m nudged out of sleep at 5:00 am by the strains of Miles Davis’ “Freddie Freeloader” or one of Bach’s solo cello pieces.
from Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
Desk lights help keep the world small and visually quiet. My writing space is illuminated only by a desk lamp that throws a narrow beam; I keep the rest of the room in shadow, and avoid turning on overhead lights as long as possible. Narrow light reflects my state of mind: I want to be stay focused, keep distractions in the shadows, and be up but n
... See morefrom Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
At 5 a.m., I can still feel the weight of sleep in my head— it feels like a blanket pressing down on my consciousness— but it’s light enough to let ideas flow. It’s worth spending the first part of my morning there. The fact that I’m not a morning person doesn’t impede my ability to work well in the early morning; in fact, it probably gives me a bo
... See morefrom Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
It’s also a world that’s social media-free. I never look at Facebook or Twitter in these early hours. They’re just not attractive to me in the pre-dawn hours. I don’t check work email, and generally don’t open my personal email, either. I want to keep this time reserved for what I need to do, not what others need me to do.
from Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
early birds did better on the insight questions in the late afternoon, during their circadian lows, while night owns produced more insights in the morning.
from Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
The other critical thing I do the night before is stop in mid-sentence or mid-paragraph. It’s a technique that makes starting at 5 a.m. a little easier: instead of having to face the existential terror of the blank page, my first task is write a couple lines that complete last night’s thought.
from Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
The night before I program the coffeepot, set out a coffee mug, and put out clothes. I set up my working space the night before, too. I put whatever books and notebooks I’ll need on my desk. I close my email and browser so I won’t be tempted by them. I open my “Morning Music” collection, and queue up a playlist. I write a list of things to focus on
... See morefrom Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
If you “stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day,” Hemingway said, “your subconscious will work on it all the time.” John Le Carré says he’ll “always try to go to sleep before I finish working, just a little bit before. Then I know where I’ll go the next morning, but I won’t quit
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Salman Ansari added 3mo ago
Getting out in the fresh air, experiencing the world at another species' pace, and walking in companionable silence are healthy activities, but not automatically creative ones. I need to have just been working, to still have a problem echoing in my mind, in order to have a moment of insight.
from Rest in the World: My Morning Routine (Updated Edition) by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Salman Ansari added 3mo ago