Daily Mindfulness for a Creative Life
simple habits that inspire calm and focus our busy world
Join the Open Book subscriber chat to get simple, actionable tips inspired by my philosophy that less is more when it comes to brand and book marketing.
When life feels overwhelming — whether from the relentless pace of writing deadlines, personal demands, or heartbreaking events like the Los Angeles wildfires — it’s easy for authors to lose their creative footing. Moments like these force us to confront how much we can’t control, but they also remind us of what we can: our writing routines, our habits, and how we show up for ourselves and our stories.
This post isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing better with what matters most. From prioritizing real rest to developing habits that anchor your focus, these small, deliberate actions can help you feel more grounded, stay centered and show up fully to the best of your ability.
Stop working. It may sound counterintuitive, but your best work will be done when you give yourself the space to think about other things. Consider:
Picking up a creative or athletic hobby, something that is purely for fun and decompression.
Honoring downtime. The biggest thing you can start doing for yourself is to give your brain a chance to be bored.
Stop scrolling and legitimately check in on people. I know you know the phrase it’s who you know…, so prioritize knowing them! Indulge in a non-distracted conversation and let them tell you what they’re up to, instead of seeing it for yourself on social media.
Prioritize sleep. Without sleep, the rest of this list is useless. While sleep amount and quality is different for everyone, my tips for rejuvenating sleep are:
Go to bed around and wake up around the same time every day (including weekends).
Don’t let technology — kindle included — be the last thing you interact with (especially once your lights are out), or the first in the morning.
“Would you ever let 100 people walk into your bedroom, the first thing, when you wake up? You’d never do that physically, but we do that mentally. When you open your phone that’s letting 100 people walk into the bedroom of your mind and tell you whatever they want to tell you.” — Jay Shetty
Try not to do anything before bed that will raise your resting heart rate.
If you’re interested in more personal insight, the Oura ring is a great tool.
Nourish your body. A nourished body has what it needs to function optimally, which impacts your performance quality, mood and overall health. You may consider:
Having bloodwork done annually, and work with a professional to help you supplement any deficiencies.
Taking actual meal breaks — literally putting everything away while you’re eating to savor your meals and give your mind a chance to wander.
My sister is a (my) nutritionist, and I work with an acupuncturist/herbalist who has engrained certain Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophies into how I approach my wellness, and honestly, I’ve never felt better. I encourage you to do your own research and remember to take care of yourself!
Get outside and exercise. Starting the day outside with movement is SO GOOD for your clarity, enhances your dopamine, and can help you connect with your place in the world. Try this:
Go for a morning walk, even if just for 10-30 minutes. If you’re into mediation or visualization, you can do a guided session on your walk, or simply take in the sounds of nature and let your mind wander.
I am walking’s number one fan, and lucky for me, I have a puppy who agrees. It is frigid in Connecticut right now, so we’re kind of sticking to 30 minute morning walks, but when the weather allows, Lira and I enjoy a lovely hour-long morning walk. This follows a 30-minute Form workout, before getting dressed for the day.
Create a consistent ritual. It’s important your brain knows it’s time to work when you get to your office/sit down at your desk. Train yourself like one of Pavlov’s dogs! When I do X, it means my work day has begun. You might consider:
Lighting a candle (my favorite), doing a short stretch routine, or pressing ‘play’ on a certain playlist.
You should also build a ritual that signifies the end your workday.
Do the Dreaded Thing first. How often do you procrastinate a particular task, only to realize it wasn’t that bad once you got to it? Stop with the multitasking, focus on the task at hand, and don’t procrastinate with false productivity!
Before you end work for the day, leave that Dreaded Thing up on your desktop, with no other tabs open. When you start work the next day, channel Nike and just do it! before you have a chance to register what is happening, open any new tabs, or start something else entirely.
Keep the Big Picture in mind. It could be so easy to get lost in the daily grind, but that’s exactly what we don’t want to do. This really works for me:
“Is what I’m working on today bringing me closer to X [fill X in with your big picture goal]?” ← Write this sentence on top of your to do list every single day, and you’ll be surprised at how your daily tasks start shifting to align with your life beyond the next 24 hours.
Honor your time. It could be extremely difficult to bounce between different responsibilities throughout the day (meetings, creative, writing, etc.), and nothing makes that even more challenging than not inherently knowing where your time is needed. Here’s how I try to combat this:
Recurring meetings. By setting your meetings to ‘recurring,’ you know your work cycle regarding that relationship, and can plan when to get what you need to do done.
Similarly, try to schedule as much talking time on the same day as possible, that way you’re not continuously interrupted from work-based productivity with meetings and calls.
Set hard boundaries for yourself! Use Focus Time in Google, DND on Apple, and analog timers if you want to come up for air after a certain amount of time Pomodoro-style.
Deep down, you know what you need to do to get your work done, and if you don’t set boundaries around that knowledge, you’ll never feel grounded or like your time is yours.
Know yourself. If you’re working on something and it’s just not working, take a walk. Don’t bring technology, don’t overthink it, just do a lap around your block or office floor. You’ll come back feeling like an entirely new person, with a fresh perspective.
So that’s my list! What do you think? Anything you would change or add?
xx
A very important footnote: Don’t be mad at yourself if you have an off day, or if some life-based obstacles are too difficult to overcome in real-time. Life is messy, and the best we can do is, well, our best.
Jessica Sorentino specializes in branding and marketing for authors, helping them connect with readers and position their work for agents and publishers. With over a decade in publishing, she transforms stories into lasting brands through strategy, connection, and visibility.
