You and I are storytellers. We’re content creators and copywriters. Our livelihoods depend on spinning creative yarns that compel our readers to action.
For the execution of our craft, we depend on some key inner resources every day. Creativity and focus are two biggies. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that — like gold and platinum — those are precious and limited resources.
That’s why meditation is a powerful tool for content marketers.
You see, research shows that meditation can increase your focus and enhance your creativity. And that’s just the beginning.
Yogis, sages, and mystics have made similar claims for millennia. But now those assertions are backed by hard science. That’s why meditation is becoming a go-to practice for Fortune 500 companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, and Medtronic.
If you don’t already meditate, I bet you’ve considered it.
For many, the hardest part is starting. So I’m going to give you some simple tips for launching your own meditation practice.
But first, let’s take a moment to explore how meditation can support your creative work.
You don’t have to meditate like a zen monk
I’ve been meditating for 22 years. Before I started writing landing pages, blog posts, and case studies, I lived and worked in a meditation and yoga ashram for 14 years. (Never heard of an ashram? It’s like a monastery.)
We were like the Tough Mudders of meditation. We trained hard, meditating for two hours each morning. On weekends, we’d meditate from midnight to 6:00 a.m. to push the limits of our practice.
Every year we hosted a meditation marathon, where we sat for 24 hours straight to raise money for our educational charity. Once I meditated for 48 hours (my aching knees!). And at least once a year, we’d participate in a 10-day silent meditation retreat.
After I left the ashram, I cofounded the website About Meditation.
I’m telling you this to give you a sense of my experience. I’m a lifelong advocate for the benefits of meditation. Mostly, I’ve pursued meditation for spiritual growth.
But when it comes to working in a creative business context, meditation offers some unique benefits. And you don’t need to meditate like a monk to enjoy the boons of the practice.
According to the science, sitting quietly at your desk for as little as 12 minutes a day may be all you need.
Let me explain.
Discover novel solutions
When you’re stuck, meditation can help.
Have you ever written a draft of an article and you just couldn’t find an elegant through line? Maybe you had writer’s block and couldn’t see how all the pieces of your idea fit together?
I’ve found that thinking harder or pounding another cup of coffee isn’t always the approach that leads to breakthroughs in these moments. Sometimes it’s better to be still, relax, and let go.
What? I’m serious.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been meditating quietly when, out of nowhere, a novel solution has burst into my awareness.
In fact, entire strategic plans have spontaneously emerged in my mind during meditation. I’m talking about elegant solutions that I couldn’t dream up if I tried by grinding them out with bullet points on a page.
Boost creativity in 10 to 12 minutes a day
In terms of creativity, the science points in a similar direction.
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, many executives report that meditation can “enhance creativity, opening doors where once there seemed to be only a wall.”
In their research, the authors found that 12 minutes of meditation could boost creativity:
“One hundred twenty-nine participants (all of them students) were divided into three groups and assigned a creative task: Generate as many business ideas as possible for using drones … the…
