The document outlines 11 habits of highly productive people according to choreographer Twyla Tharp. The habits include starting early with few distractions, looking for new ways of doing things, studying the works of masters, viewing everything as a potential resource, eliminating fear and distractions, finding ideas everywhere, creating an environment conducive to creativity, reading for growth, not exhausting all energy in one day, just doing the work, and working hard. The habits are presented with quotes from Twyla Tharp about her approach to creativity and productivity.

1. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
By Sam Semako

2. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 1: START EARLY WITH LESS
DISTRACTIONS
The most productive ones get started early
in the morning, when the world is quiet,
the phones aren’t ringing, and their minds
are rested, alert, and not yet polluted by
other people’s words. – Twyla Tharp

3. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 2: LOOK FOR NEW WAYS OF DOING
THINGS
“Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for
businesspeople looking for a new way to close
a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a
problem; it’s for parents who want their
children to see the world in more than one
way.”- Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

4. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 3: STUDY THE WORKS OF OTHERS ESPECIALLY
THE MASTERS
“People err who think my art comes easily to me. I
assure you dear friend, nobody has devoted so much
time and thought to composition as I. There is not a
famous master whose music I have not industriously
studied through many times.” – Mozart

5. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 4: EVERYTHING IS A RESOURCE
“Everything is raw material. Everything is
relevant. Everything is usable. Everything
feeds into my creativity. But without proper
preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use
it. Without the time and effort invested in
getting ready to create, you can be hit by the
thunderbolt and it will just leave you stunned.”
― Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

6. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 5: ELIMATE THESE TWIN
DEMONS: FEAR & DISTRACTIONS,
ALWAYS!
“ — distractions and fears — are the
dangerous ones. They’re the habitual
demons that invade the launch of any
project.” – Twyla Tharp

7. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 6: LOOK FOR IDEAS EVERYWHERE,
AND ANYWHERE
“Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes,
mentors, nature – all are lottery tickets for creativity.
Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a
prize you’ve won.”― Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
“Scratching can look like borrowing or appropriating,
but it’s an essential part of creativity. It’s primal, and
very private. It’s a way of saying to the gods, ‘Oh, don’t
mind me, I’ll just wander in these back hallways…’ and
then grabbing that piece of fire and running like hell.”
– Twyla Tharp

8. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 7: CREATE YOUR CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT
“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation
rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start
their day. By putting themselves into that environment,
they start their creative day.
Find a working environment where the prospect of
wrestling with your muse doesn’t scare you, doesn’t shut
you down. It should make you want to be there, and once
you find it, stick with it. To get the creative habit, you need
a working environment that’s habit-forming. All preferred
working states, no matter how eccentric, have one thing
in common: When you enter into them, they compel you
to get started.”
– Twyla Tharp

9. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 8: READ FOR GROWTH
“I read for growth, firmly believing that
what you are today and what you will be
in five years depends on two things: the
people you meet and the books you
read.” – Twyla Tharp

10. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 9: DON’T EXHAUST YOUR WHOLE
ENERGY
“I always insist on maintaining a reserve
for the next day, to get started in the next
day for myself as well as for everybody in
the room. It's foolish to blow it out on
your first week of rehearsal when you've
got four more to go.” – Twyla Tharp

11. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 10: DO IT!
“...Just some people think
about it and others just do
it.” – Twyla Tharp

12. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Habit 11: WORK IT!!
“I’m a worker.” – Twyla Tharp
“You can’t just dance or paint or write or
sculpt. These are just verbs. You need a
tangible idea to get you going. The idea,
however minuscule, is what turns the verb
into a noun-paint into a painting, sculpt into
a sculpture, write into writing, dance into a
dance.”-Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

13. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
QUESTIONS

14. 11 Habits of Highly Productive People
– Lessons From Twyla Tharp
Thank You!
Once again, I am SAM SEMAKO,
Principal Consultant, Career-Wise Consults,
22, Zik Avenue, off, Tafawa Balewa Street, Jos-Nigeria
Tel: +2348037751551
Blog: www.samsemako.com.ng
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@SamSemako
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@careerwisenig
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SamSemakoJinadu