Every day, after writing, in any weather, at the same time, along the same route, Immanuel Kant took a one-hour walk before returning home to read and sleep. Many great thinkers have “used” walking as a writing tool. The well-timed walk breaks the formal, solitary, desk-bound rigors of the writing process and opens new space for ideas, and ways to word them.

There is something Zen about this: the more we give in to emptiness, the more readily that emptiness fills with inspiration. Like all of us, writers are today inundated with stimulation at an unprecedented rate and volume. To avoid rote mimicry of what we’ve already read, and create something new, we might actually consider slowing our intake.

We find that the best ideas arrive at the most mundane times, like swimming laps, doing dishes, or brushing
your teeth. Repetitive motion is good for the creative mind. The key is to so thoroughly internalize a brief, research, or outline that they become like cognitive nets, catching promising moves and materials from the river of thought.

Some tasks demand entry into our most personal space: our consciousness. We’re told it’s healthy to separate life and work, but that’s hard when keeping your creative radar active around the clock
is essential to good work. So the next time an empty page stares back at you from the screen, go for a walk. The words will follow.