Researchers at Stanford did a series of experiments looking at the effects of walking on creativity, as measured by a test of divergent thinking-which asks people to come up with novel ways of using an everyday item, like a brick or a doorstop. Not only is it a form of exercise (which brings blood to the brain), it can also help our brains engage in a light kind of focus, which encourages more mind-wandering and aids later creativity. Walking can be a simple way to facilitate creative thinking. They found that employees whose work had a large measure of routine were more likely to submit ideas those who had more control over their work did even better. Then, they looked at how many creative ideas these workers submitted to managers. In one study, researchers surveyed hundreds of workers at a high-tech company about how much routine they had in their everyday work, how much opportunity they had to be creative on the job, and how much initiative they could exercise in trying out new ideas.

We may think of routine as the opposite of creativity but in reality, research suggests that routines can enhance it. They also tend to set up routines, so that they don’t waste brainpower recreating the wheel every day and taking up valuable creative energy. They start work earlier, sometimes before dawn, and concentrate on their most challenging work first when their creative energy is bound to be at its peak. While some writers and artists burn the midnight oil, depend on a looming deadline to help them focus, or wait for inspiration to strike before getting down to business, many of history’s most creative and prolific figures take a different approach.

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