10:00 a.m. Accidentally pressed “reply all” to everyone in my company, offering sincere condolences to a co-worker who lost her mom three years ago, which spurred dozens of emails companywide on who died, and whether or not the company should send flowers.

Oops.

10:50 a.m. Wrote a premature announcement on a website that I would not be blogging there anymore –which got me cut off from access to the blog.

Yikes!

12:00 p.m. Forgot my towel at the public pool. Had to air off using the hand and hair dryers.

Embarrassing.

5:30 p.m. Showed up at my daughter’s book group on time for once! The mom answers the door and tells me it’s next week.

Really?

That is an average beginning to most days.

I love learning about the creative processes and daily habits of people who’ve given us great gifts, everything from powerful writing to awe-inspiring art to beautiful symphonies.

So I was excited to pick up a copy of Mason Currey’s book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. In it, Currey shares the everyday routines of writers, composers, painters, playwrights, poets, philosophers, filmmakers, scientists and other artists — 161 in total.

In his introduction, he notes that Daily Rituals is “about the circumstances of creative activity, not the product; it deals with manufacturing rather than meaning.” His goal, he says, is “…to show how grand creative visions translate to small daily increments; how one’s working habits influence the work itself, and vice versa.”

Daily Rituals is a fascinating glimpse into some of the greatest minds, and the habits and practices that are integral to their creative process.

To my fellow over-thinkers, ruminators, and introspective-dwellers: I know what it’s like to feel “stuck in your head.”

It’s those moments when your mind starts to wander, and all your reflections and ponderings (whether they may be trivial or significant) begin to simulate a mountain that’s too exhausting to climb. I like to refer to this as ‘introspection overload’ — thinking that decides to examine a subject matter intricately and closely, inviting further thoughts to join the party, even though you reason that it’s probably time to take a few steps back.

This is one of the reasons why I love journaling. I have drawers devoted to several years of journal-keeping (including a precious gem from my second-grade self).

Have you ever sat in front of the computer screen or pad of paper, wishing the words to magically come forth from your fingertips so you could finally meet your deadline?

Do you hope that you won’t have to go through the chaos and stress of it being late or not completed at all?

Yet no matter how long you sit there, or stare out the window, or surf the Internet or hit your head on the desk, nothing happens. It’s not that you aren’t motivated or that it’s not important to you, but literally it’s like you have no idea of where to start or what words to use. You’re blank.

For people with ADHD who experience this common sense of a “blank screen,” writing can be daunting.

Many ideas that were once thought of as stupid actually turned out to be huge successes. In fact, most of these inventions we can’t live without today.

Take the telephone, for instance. Originally, in 1876, Western Union rejected it, explaining in an internal memo: “The device is inherently of no value to us.”

The automobile was met with similar reservations. The president of Michigan Savings Bank told Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Company, because: “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad.”

Satellites didn’t seem that useful either. T. Craven, the FCC commissioner, had this to say in 1961: “There is practically no chance communications space satellites will be used to provide better telephone, telegraph, television or radio service inside the United States.”

Self-care is the basis for our well-being. And when stress strikes, we especially need to attend to our emotional, physical and spiritual needs and practice nourishing, healthy habits.

But, for many of us, that’s exactly when our self-care dips. We neglect our needs and get trapped in a web of overwhelm.

In her excellent book The Art of Extreme Self-Care author Cheryl Richardson shares a valuable idea that can help: creating a “self-care first-aid kit.”

She describes it as a “well-prepared plan of action put in place before you need to use it. It consists of things you can do on a physical, emotional and spiritual level that will give you comfort, connection and a feeling of steadiness while navigating the rough waters of a crisis.”

In our monthly series, we take a sneak peek into the creative processes of everyone from photographers to authors to artists to creativity coaches.

This month I’m excited to share my interview with Miranda Hersey. Hersey wears many creative hats. She’s a writer and editor, creativity coach, and host of the blog Studio Mothers. And she’s a mom of five!

I’ve already interviewed Hersey for several creativity pieces, and I love her interesting insights and valuable tips. Her e-book on creativity and motherhood is excellent. (I shared a few of her tips here.)

And her mission is powerful: to help others live deeply satisfying, creative lives.

Creativity is like a muscle, said Krista Peel Starer, a jewelry designer, illustrator and painter.

“It can get really nimble if you use it often.”

The key to strengthening this muscle is finding exercises that work best for you.

For inspiration, we asked several creativity coaches, artists and authors to share the one activity that, without fail, helps them access their creativity. Maybe you’ll add these to your repertoire.

While occasionally it feels like ideas just pop into our heads, it’s rarely without some preparation on our parts.

That’s because creativity is a practice. It’s magical in many ways. But the magic requires a trained magician.

Here are 15 fun activities you can do in 10 minutes to jump-start your creativity and inspire your imagination.

1. Go on a photo safari.

“Grab your camera — any will do, even your smart phone! — and take yourself out for a 10-minute walk around the block,” said Susannah Conway, a writer, photographer and author of the book This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart.

Like many kids growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, I was fortunate enough to have parents who were able to provide all the modern luxuries a kid could want. I was always fed, clothed, and loved. I never lived without a home, color TV, car and good education. Not that everything was great, but overall I never struggled.

Growing up in this easy(ish) world, my parents always told me that I could do anything with my life, be whatever I wanted, and do what made me happy. On the whole they meant well, and on the whole they believed what they told me, until what I wanted to do was diametrically opposite to what they thought was best for me… but that’s for another day.

I believed that I was special and that the world should treat me as such. If I wanted to do something that interested me, the path should open up before me and I should be able to walk into any job I wanted. Oh, how I can laugh at myself now!

Sadly, this type of irrational thinking seems to be even more prevalent in today’s generation.

Two words you don’t see thrown together as equals much are courage and peace.

“Coraggio,” what my violin teacher in college implored me to have before an audition, is what you need to conjure in order to face a daunting task. Peace is that elusive component of life that is only a little more attainable than its sister condition, joy (which a lot of depressives and goths will say they never even heard of).

But if you consider those moments when you have to throw caution to the wind and go after what speaks to you in this life — or simply speak your mind — no matter the outcome, you should be able to find peace.

You’re standing along the banks of the Seine River in France, peering out at the golden glow that illuminates the Eiffel Tower after the sun fades.

You’re sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome, with a cool chocolate gelato in hand, as life happens in the midst of the square.

You’re floating in the Caribbean Sea as the palm trees sway in Aruba’s warm breeze, feeling at peace in that very moment.

You’re walking around the quaint streets of Nantucket, passing by the grey shingled cottages; New England in the summertime is vibrant with beauty and comfort.

Whether I have a Parisian fantasy, or yearn for a cozy beachside getaway, my itch to go somewhere resurfaces every so often. Travel provides an escape from the daily grind and typical routine.