I’m an Innovation Expert and Author of Big Little Breakthroughs by Josh Linker, and This Is How I Work.

What if someone tells you that all it takes to unleash your inner creative spark is five minutes of daily mindfulness practice? Or that “breakout” doesn’t have to be a monumental triumph, but rather something that makes your day a little easier?

This is the guiding principle behind Josh Linker’s high-tech work and the main goal of his new book, Small Breakthroughs . Linker believes that everyone has deep reserves of creativity and ingenuity, and the beauty of such a philosophy lies in its simplicity: only five minutes a day to make the most of this innate ability, and you don’t need to follow a secret recipe to bring it to life. Rather, you can do what works best for your preferences and form your own daily ritual.

I spoke with Linker about how others can begin to apply his approach to their lives and why anyone can draw inspiration from the concept of small, daily accomplishments.

Why focus on achieving lesser accomplishments throughout the day?

Giant breakouts can seem risky and out of reach. In contrast, micro-innovation is much less risky, accessible to everyone, and a great way to develop creative skills. Plus, small wins lead to meaningful results.

As a tech entrepreneur, I worked to build my organization so that creativity was not only reserved for me as CEO, but also the work of all of us. Through small daily innovations across my entire team, we have been able to grow and become the leading company in our industry. On a personal level, I like to look for small, creative things on a daily basis that tend to boost my energy and fuel my momentum in all aspects of business and life.

How do you calibrate what a “little” triumph looks like?

We tend to think that innovation only matters if it’s a billion dollar idea. On the contrary, I do not believe there is a minimum threshold for creative triumph. For me, a small win is still a win if the innovation creates some utility. Moving the printer four steps closer to save time will not make a magazine cover, but it will still increase productivity. I hate using words like “should”, but I find that the most productive approach to innovation and creativity is to focus on day-to-day practice. The more we discover small ideas, the more likely we are to grab onto big ones.

How can someone who is not familiar with this concept start using it?

First, we must recognize that all people are creative. We are committed to being creative regardless of position, age, geography or experience. We can all be creative in our own way. Then let’s give ourselves permission to mess around and experiment like scientists do in a lab. When we let our guard down and allow our creativity to flow regularly, it will develop and multiply.

Is five minutes a day enough to speed up the creative process you are describing?

Because we are created to be creative as humans, this is more of a re-discovery process than learning a whole new language. Thus, a focused effort of just five minutes a day will bring a significant boost to creativity in our lives and at work.

The technique I share in the book is more of an example than a recipe, so readers should feel free to create a daily ritual that seems right for any of the thinking and tactics described in the book. The most important element is to make it a conscious daily habit. This is a highly leveraged activity because a little effort will produce a disproportionately large set of results.

How important is daily ritual?

It’s not about being tough, it’s about making creativity a part of everyday life. My morning ritual helps prepare my day for creative problem solving and creative thinking. It provides a heightened understanding of opportunities throughout the day to see opportunities and use the imagination to achieve meaningful results. Everyday habit sets in motion our creative engines to achieve the results that matter to us – from career and company to health, family and society.