

Does meditation boost your creativity? - tannerc
http://blog.lift.do/does-meditation-boost-your-creativity/

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ianstallings
I've often wondered this and experimented myself with meditation from time to
time. I do have a little ritual I do before I start coding that helps me reach
_the zone_ , that is basically a small meditation:

1\. I close my eyes and try to think of nothing except what I'm about to do.
2\. I focus on my breathing. 3\. I envision myself coding with everything
going smoothly, I'm in the zone.

I do this for a few minutes and try to maintain my focus, seeing myself coding
with a big smile on my face. Then I get to work. It helps on days where
distractions are especially tough and my mind seems like a huge mess.

~~~
tannerc
Interesting technique. It mirrors with what Colzato recommends about short
meditation sessions before a meeting. There's something about sitting quietly
before the work that "shifts" your mind into the right state.

The problem I think many of us who work in large, open-space offices, will
encounter is finding the right place to do just that.

~~~
ianstallings
I actually learned this from a sports trainer, a skydiver specifically, who
recommended the book _Mental Training for Skydiving and Life_. When I used to
skydive I would use techniques outlined in that book to prep myself. It was
basically all about envisioning success and driving all other thoughts out of
your mind. Athletes do this before an event. It actually goes into more
thorough techniques where you "rewind" and "fast-forward" your visions of
success. It's the whole "what the mind believes it can achieve" and helps you
get into the zone.

I agree about the work spaces, it's can be hard to get a moment by yourself,
let alone one where you can close your eyes for a few minutes without being
disturbed. In those cases I end up putting on my head phones and doing it
anyway. I probably look like a weirdo :D

