How often do you engage in deep work? By this I mean, undisturbed thinking…I have recently decided to dedicate more time to cultivating this skill in my life.

No interruptions, notifications, just time to sit and focus on one specific task, dedicated to one topic or subject that gets me into a deep state of thinking. It serves as an extremely pleasurable time for me and gets me into the creative space I need to be in.

Writing is one of those things…it’s essential to get myself into a mood that allows me to think straight. Being in a very creative, tech-focussed and social media space, I have found it incredibly challenging at times to switch off. In this blog, I share a few things that I have implemented recently to help me stay in my creative zone, inspired and relaxed so that I can truly enjoy my work and produce results that I am happy with.

Number 1, a fresh and clean space: It sounds a little cliche, but truly – maintaining a clean space with lots of fresh air is so important. It helps you set the right mood and tone to get your day started or anything started for that matter.

Number 2, having a coach or mentor that you can rely on. Sometimes you need a voice to help challenge your thoughts, make sense of the mind chatter, encourage and advise you in the right ways, so that you are aligned with your goals, dreams and core desires. Having energy and executing my days with a high-level of it is not only essential for me to really feel fulfilled, but it’s also my biggest daily desire.

My coach, Adi Redzic helped me identify this, and ever since this realisation, I have made time to think about the things that optimise my energy, the ability to do the things I love at my best capacity and capability is a big win for me.

Number 3, environment and environment: this might ring the same as number 1, but this time I’m focusing more on the overall environment that includes the people you choose to surround yourself with, who you work and live with.

(Take a good person and put them in a bad environment and that person will do bad things, take a person whom a group doesn’t trust, or might have even performed bad acts and put them in a good environment and they are capable of turning their lives around and becoming a remarkable member of society)

In other words, it’s not the person, it’s the environment. It’s not you, it’s your environment. Grasping this concept and holding it close to my heart has set me on the right track time and time again, especially when there have been times that I could have fallen off the bandwagon. In an interview with Simon Sinek, he reinforces this point and it’s a big game changer.

Change is the only constant and being able to identify patterns, habits, people, environments and things that hold you back from true growth will help propel you to make the necessary decisions that can help you become the person you want and need to be, not just for yourself – but for those around you too, for your work and for your inner peace.

Number 4, the ability to say no. As time moves, and things change. As we unlock new levels and desire new outcomes, a different version of ourselves is required. This also means saying no to the things that we would have said yes to at some point OR the other way around. What are your highest priorities? If they do mean a lot to you, you must be willing to have the courage to align yourself with those responsibilities. As I personally get better at doing this, I have found that it brings with it a new sense of authenticity and happiness – two things that are incredibly valuable to me.

Number 5, awaken the child within you. When I was a kid, I didn’t have too much to think about, but I must tell you…I had quite the imagination. In our home, my parents didn’t allow me to watch television as a kid, even though I loved the thought of it. Movies (when I was allowed to watch) was a pass-time I couldn’t get enough of. It exposed me to new worlds, while monitored and only shown selected tv shows and videos on the ‘video machine’ I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Whether it was an hour listening to my favourite radio show, or riding on a bike in my neighbourhood with my brother, playing with bricks and marbles, or a violin lesson, these moments were very creative spaces for me, even at a young age, these activities worked my imagination and got me into a deep level of thought and curiosity. Think about the moments you enjoyed when you were much younger, I believe it’s the secret to unlocking greater levels of interest even in the most mundane activities in life…A secret of great creative people.