5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levels

5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levels5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levelsHow do the greatest business minds stay creative and practice great habits when the demands of building a business can be so exhausting?Over the course of my career, I have often turned to colleagues and leading business experts and coaches in the world for advice. Here are five of my favorite daily rituals I learned from some of behauptung leaders These tips and habits are simple enough that you can incorporate them into your routine as well.Breathe differentlyEven the fruchtwein extraordinarily busy entrepreneurs can find a few minutes each day to take care of their physical well-being. Leaders who are said to practice breathing techniques and meditation include Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Szu sichyl Sandberg, Elon Musk andmore.One tactic I learned this year comes recommended by an expert who works with many of our clients,Walker Cla rk. Clark is a sought-after performance coach known as a leader creator for his unique style of coaching. Clark told me about theButeyko methodof reduced breathing he uses with his clients. All of us tend to breathe incorrectly, which can wash too much carbon dioxide from our blood and starve our tissues of oxygen. This can contribute to a host of ailments, including chronic exhaustion, depression and anxiety, says Clark.The breathing exercise he recommends is simple. With your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth, repeat these stepsTake a small, calm breath in through your nose.Gently allow your breath out.Hold your nose for a slow count of five.Breathe quietly and normally for 10 seconds, then repeat the sequence.Learn story structureOne key to success in business is knowing how to tell any story in a powerful way. Good stories can connect us to our customers, increase sales, inspire our teams and even start movements. My friend and author,Craig Leener,gives a great tip for le arning this priceless skill He suggests reading Napoleon Hills personal development classic,Think and Grow Rich,where you can review the books organized planning chapter as a guide to understanding an eight-point story arc.Knowing how an eight-point arc works and practicing the method allow you to craft your own powerful story from start to finish. I use this method constantly to help grow my companies and help my clients grow theirs, too.Write morning pagesOriginated by Julia Cameron from her book,The Artists Way, the concept of morning pages is simple As soon as you wake up, you need to write three journal pages with any and all thoughts that come into your mind. I first heard about it last year and was reminded of the power of this practice byRobyn Ward, an advisor and coach for some of the worlds largest tech companies and founders.Robyn recommends all the startups and founders she works with topartake in the practice of morning pages. She swears that capturing our messy and ran dom stream of consciousness on paper helps to quiet mental chatter and free the mind, which allows us to move more consciously and creatively into our day. Robyn says, Adding this morning ritual to my day was a game-changer for me and, though my clients are often wary of the concept initially, I have watched countless entrepreneurs benefit from this practice.Take walking meetingsWalking meetings are incredible for the mind, as we can be more effective and creative when were moving.My friend, author and investor Amy Jo Martinsaysthat walking meetings actually help her brain stay stimulated, and when she cant get outdoors, she takes meetings via Google Hangouts and Skype calls from her treadmill desk. Yes, atreadmill deskis a real thing. Amy says, Over the past year, Ive also started setting aside a certain amount of time each week where I hop on my treadmill desk and then ask friends and followers on social media if theres anything I can do to help them while Im getting my steps in.P rioritize your to-do listAs entrepreneurs, were often faced with an overwhelming mountain of to-dos every day. And most of us are tempted to jump right into the tasks that we can finish quickly (you know, the easy work that we can check off our list to feel accomplished). But the truth is, those easy tasks are also typically the most trivial.Recently, I heard Sasha Kill, founder of Outlaw Creative, share on a call how she manages creative projects for the worlds top brands and their founders every day. We have worked with Sasha over the years and she uses a trick that many leading CEOs swear by. Sasha says, If you want to stay on top of your game, its important to focus on your most important daily projects first. It only takes a few minutes at the beginning of each day to prioritize and outline your top three projects, then commit to completing those tasks before tackling any other to-do on your list.The tips above will not only address your personal wellness and mindfulness, but c an also help you build a better team, experience less stress and reach your business goals. The trick is that you have to make these tips habits. You cant just glance at story structure you have to memorize it. You cant just try the breathing exercise once you have to make it a part of your daily routine. Habits also statistically take at least 30 days to stick (though some say only21 days), so challenge yourself to try one of the above for a minimum of 30 days and see what happens as a result.Beth Doane, an award winning writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur, is a managing partner of Main Rose. This article first appeared at BusinessCollective,