Even in his later years, Richard Strauss kept himself busy. He scheduled his day. He planned two walks a day. He worked, wrote, created for 5+ hours a day. He slotted himself time twice a day to sit and read. He intentionally made time for tea, and even scheduled himself opportunities to smoke. He knew when he was going to wake, eat breakfast, stop for lunch, have dinner, return to his room, and turn out his light.

His life was on purpose. And, what you might not notice, if you just scan over his daily schedule, is his intentional time to breathe in creativity. Yes. Creativity, though it may seem to come in random bursts, can be planned for. For Strauss, I’m guessing it happened while was taking a stroll down by the river. Or, maybe it happened when busyness was set aside as he relaxed on a seat and sipped his tea. I can even imagine that those moments he enjoyed a smoke were more productive than what you might realize.

So, yes, work and work hard. But, give your mind, your soul, your heart, planned opportunities to dream, to drift, to watch a bird or something neutral like that.