A Full Day of Being Creative

The runsheet

1. 1

   

   Twenty minutes of TM

   Mantra

   Transcendental Meditation, usually twenty minutes first thing, often sitting up in bed. TM uses a silently repeated mantra; if you don't have one, any word or sound you repeat will work.

   20 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 22 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

2. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing mantra before breath work

   This pairing is especially effective because silent chanting settles mind and breath, so structured breathing starts already in smooth rhythm.

   2

   

   Controlled breathing in the sun

   Breath work

   Once you’ve finished meditating, go outside for a few minutes and breathe slowly in the sun. The count is simple, in for five, out for six. That longer exhale is the useful bit.

   10 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 12 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

3. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath work before sauna

   This can be a good pairing because regulated breathing prepares you to handle sauna heat without feeling smothered.

   3

   

   Use the heat of a sauna

   Sauna

   Heat is one half of a deliberate contrast used to experience moments of awe. Let it build slowly and stay with the discomfort. A long hot bath or shower are good substitutes if you don't have a sauna.

   25 min activitySetup 8 min · Reset 11 min · 44 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

4. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing sauna before cold plunge

   This is an excellent pairing because the classic hot-then-cold contrast can support circulation, recovery, and alertness.

   4

   

   Then plunge into the cold

   Cold plunge

   Straight from the heat into an ice bath, staying as long as you comfortably can. The shock is the point; it drops you fully into the present. A cold shower is a fair substitute, and two to three minutes is plenty.

   4 min activitySetup 8 min · Reset 8 min · 20 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

5. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cold plunge before being in nature

   There's a useful connection here because the plunge wakes the senses, so stepping outside you catch breeze, birdsong, and colour more vividly.

   5

   

   Walk and meditate outside

   Being in nature

   Walk and meditate outdoors; these relaxed walks are often where ideas surface. No phone, and no destination. A slow loop of a park or a quiet street can do the same work as anywhere wilder.

   40 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 46 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

6. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before nutrition

   This can be a good pairing because a meal afterwards gives time to process any calm feelings from being outdoors.

   Lunch, away from screens

   60 min

   Nutrition

   A deliberate break between the morning and the creative work. Eat unhurried and stay away from screens.

7. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing nutrition before listening to music (mindful)

   This can help because a settled body after refuelling makes mindful listening feel comfortable and unhurried, especially with gentler music if still full.

   7

   

   Listen to one thing fully

   Listening to music (mindful)

   Put on one piece of music and give it full attention, with nothing else to distract you. Rubin (who this Burst was inspired by) listens for what a track needs rather than rushing to judge it. Pick one album, sit, and listen with all your attention.

   30 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 32 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

8. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing listening to music (mindful) before creating music

   This can be a good pairing because composing extends the listening session, turning passive inspiration into active creation.

   8

   

   Work on the music

   Creating music

   This is hands-on work on the music itself. You don't need a studio; any way of creating music will work. Use your voice, an instrument or a repeating sound. The aim is to create, it doesn’t need to arrive at an outcome that makes sense to anyone else.

   40 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 50 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

9. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing creating music before craft

   There's a useful connection here because crafting can channel any leftover creative energy into hands-on craft making.

   9

   

   Make something by hand

   Craft

   This session extends the idea that creativity is a way of being rather than a job title: spend the time making something by hand, any medium, with no outcome in mind.

   30 min activitySetup 5 min · Reset 5 min · 40 min all-in

   See the recommended Bearmore guide

10. Bearmore’s thoughts on doing craft before journaling

    This works well because craft can loosen up thoughts, and writing afterwards is a way to catch any insights or feelings that surfaced while making your chosen art.

    10

    

    Write down your ideas

    Journaling

    Keep a notebook to save your ideas before they pass. It’s not a neatly kept diary, its a place to collect ideas, messy, finished or unfinsihed.

    15 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 17 min all-in

    See the recommended Bearmore guide

11. Time well spent.

    5h 43m spent doing something good for yourself.