Want To Be More Creative?
Creative thinking can benefit anyone, in any career. Creative thinking leads to innovation, which leads to newer, better and faster ways to do things. If you haven’t been trained to think creatively, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. It’s not taught in our school system (though it was hammered into us during design school!) Here are my 7 tried-and-true tricks to get the most out of my creative brain.
No Cell Phones
Cell phones are a massive distraction! Even with the sound off, just having it sit there makes you want to check it. What if you’re missing something, right?
A University of Texas Austin study found that any cell phone in your vicinity (it doesn’t even need to be yours) will reduce your cognitive function. To be truly creative you have to commit, so let’s get rid of distractions!
Embrace Boredom
Did you know boredom is really good for your brain? Think about when you were a kid and you were bored out of your mind. You probably came up with some ridiculous games or crafts.
You were creative. You found a way to entertain yourself. In the digital age, it can be hard to be bored. There are phone games and Netflix and Youtube. Media is constantly at our fingertips. There’s no reason to ever be bored, but the problem is that now your brain doesn’t know how to be creative.
Find ways to create boredom. A screen-free Saturday, perhaps?
Find Your Most Productive Hours
This can be a lot of trial and error but is so valuable in the end, especially if you have the benefit of working from home. If you know you’re a morning person start with testing times in the morning, try different wake-up times, and when do you start to slump?
I found that I slump around 2 pm every day. It doesn’t matter how much sleep I’ve had or when I start work. I also found that my most productive hours were before 11 am. So what did I do? I started work earlier. I now sit down at my desk at 6:30 am.
That means by 11 I’ve had 4 and a half hours of productive work (and uninterrupted too, because no cell phone!). After that, I still manage to get work done but it’s not as productive — After noon I start checking my phone and email for client needs and by 2 pm I’ve been in my office for over 7 hours.
2 pm onwards? I book all my meetings! Meetings don’t need my creative brain and it’s still work that needs to get done. This way I can comfortably get 8-10 hours of work in without feeling exhausted.
Take A Break
Sometimes your brain is tired, or you’re overthinking a project. Take a break! Go for a walk, have a shower, read a book, or take a nap. Giving your brain time to rest will allow it to process all the information that you’ve put into it. 
It’s fine to come back to a project or problem in a day or two and look at it with fresh eyes. I know we like to think that we’re machines but we need to rest and refocus. Taking a break to do something you love will let your subconscious percolate on the problem and often come up with the answer when you least expect it.
Try Something New
There is nothing better for your creative brain than shaking things up. Try something new whether it’s a creative endeavour, like painting or drawing, or a sport or even if it’s just a new recipe or drive to work.
It’s a great way to jumpstart your creativity. Having new inputs in your creative brain can give you a different perspective. And remember, variety is the spice of life!
Collaborate
Collaboration is a great way to get creative because now you have multiple people to bounce ideas off. Their ideas can inspire your ideas and these ideas build on each other. It’s important when collaborating to have the same goal in mind and to create a safe space where there’s no such thing as a bad idea.
Everyone has different experiences, different perspectives and different histories and you can create an incredibly well-rounded idea through collaboration.
It is important that if you’re collaborating on a project to have as diverse of a team as possible. This will ensure that you’re not coming at a problem from the same perspective. Create diversity in gender, race, sexual orientation, and religious backgrounds and you will create a well-informed and inclusive solution.
Hack Your Senses
One of my favourite ways to be creative when I’m working alone is to hack my senses. I have figured out which music, and have figured out which scents work best for my brain to put myself into a flow state.
There’s music I prefer listening to (Broadway Musicals) but this doesn’t put me into a flow state. I always want to sing along! For me, if I listen to (oddly enough) instrumental bluegrass music, it allows me to zone out and focus entirely on work. It just has the right rhythm and melody to it so that I can enjoy it and get into a flow state.
The same goes with smell! We all know that the smell of lavender relaxes you, or that the smell of cinnamon makes you hungry. The White Barn Sun-Washed Citrus is my favourite candle to burn while I work! You can use your sense of smell to train your brain that it’s time to work. Figure out which stimulates your brain and find candles or essential oils that you can use in your office when it’s time to double down and be creative.
If you’re a kinesthetic learner, check out these great fidget toys!
What Works For You?
These are my favourite creativity hacks, what are some of yours? Do you find it difficult to get into a creative headspace or a flow state? Do you consider yourself a creative person?