Creating habits that stick is something we keep hearing about through various sources like books, the internet, our daily conversations, and some other random means. There’s a whole bunch of research articles (like this one) that explore the science behind habit formation, and can give a lot to think about.

Among all of this lot to think about did I find myself thinking about creating a habit of creation. (Haha, indeed, the sentence sounds a bit strange!) Earlier this year, I’d already set myself on a routine of morning exercises, reading, following online courses (software, languages, etc.), and was fairly regular with all of these activities. I realized how powerful habit formation really is and how doing small but consistent actions compounds and reduces the mental barrier needed to do something at any instant; procrastination can indeed be controlled without much effort once a few weeks go by.

However, there was something that started getting annoying over the days - in all of this habit formation stuff, I wasn’t creating anything; merely consuming. Morning exercises, meditation, running - good for my health and endurance, but that’s it. Reading - helping me understand more perspectives, but that’s it. Likewise for courses - taking in everything and growing, but that’s about it. The itch of not creating anything was getting itchier. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled about just taking in a lot of knowledge and not putting it to use in any form.

In my weak defence (sigh), I’m working on my Master’s thesis at the time of writing, and that may count towards a “creation” of some sort. However, it’s a long-term thing that has been going on for a few months and is not really a “personal project” so to speak - it is also an obligatory part of my Master’s degree, and needs to be done whether I like it or not - and hence does not give the feeling of creating something as I’d like. When an employee works at a firm, they wouldn’t think of their work as a creative process irrespective of whether the work involves creativity or not (of course, there are exceptions - content creators, for instance). It’d be much more rewarding to create something of your own for the joy of creating it.

A personal example of creating something out of curiosity would be a browser automation project I thought of while mindlessly looking at traffic patterns on Google Maps. It was exciting to work on even if for just a day or two, but I’d like to have working on my own stuff like this made into a habit. As a new starting point, I’ve decided to write something almost daily (nightly?) on this website in the periodic section, and plan to include artwork or photography or something of that sort periodically, once the initial habit is in place. I have some ideas for software projects too but those are for when I really have enough time (my thesis keeps me fairly occupied, among other things).

There is no “whip” to enforce this habit except for my annoyance at my being uncreative, but I think it’s strong enough. Let’s see!

I believe people would find their lives more fulfilling once they enjoy the process of creating something without really bothering so much about its purpose. Maybe I’m wrong, but who knows. Wikipedians don’t create and edit articles voluntarily on Wikipedia for nothing. Open source software developers don’t write free software without a reason. All those non-monetized YouTube videos - maybe there just is something that makes people let out their creative urges in some form or the other without wanting anything specific in return.

Probably how my desk is going to look while creating

Or perhaps I’m just deluded and/or too idealistic. But oh, well, whatever! I’m creating.