Summer’s (almost) over, its time to get your head back in the game. This is your pre-hibernation creative work-out pep talk. We’ve researched the top ten hacks to optimise your creative performance and get you firing on all cylinders. So, go get you spandex on (remember the alter ego blog where we recommend this? You mean you didn’t read it? For-shame…here’s a link) and get ready to drop and give me ten (new ideas)
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1. Don’t go to sleep.
Be tired. Stay up late. Yawn. Day dream. Let your mind wander freely. Research shows that creative thinking works better at non optimal-times. A tired mind is actually more creative as it benefits from distractions, random thoughts and tangents…oh look an owl on a skateboard!
2. Get sweaty.
Told you to invest in spandex didn’t we! We all know exercise is good for you but studies have shown that exercise can improve our ability to think creatively, so boost that serotonin get some happy in your veins. As explained by Psychology Today
“Sweat is like WD-40 for your mind – it lubricates the rusty hinges of your brain and makes your thinking more fluid”
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3. Turn up the Music
But not that loud! Ambient, ambient is what you want. Silence is needed to sharpen focus or for intense problem-solving, but creative thinking requires buzz.
4. Become a Thief.
That’s right, steal. Ideas, steal them all, its what creatives do, borrow, inspire, share, expand ideas we have seen or heard before. This also ties in with number 5 which is;
5. Give yourself a break
Because there is no such ting as an original idea so let yourself off the hook and let it go. It’s connections that are new and limitless. Look there’s one, there’s one…
6. Go Away.
Go. Get out of here. Get on a plane. Be uncomfortable. See something new. Or if that seems impossible do something else out of your comfort zone, take a new class, learn something new. Although travelling is perfect as it allows you to experience new cultures, landscapes and heightens the senses, it is possible to do this on a smaller, closer to home scale. The idea is to be challenge yourself, get uncomfortable, wear itchy underwear – no don’t do that, that was a tangent
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7. What’s Dim, Blue and Green?
Your environment should be. Remember the blog we did on environment? How important it is to your creativity? No? Here’s a reminder. Current research has shown that the colours blue and green can optimise your creativity, as can dimming the lights. A darkened room can release the subconscious and trigger an explorative processing style.
8. Tie yourself up.
Not literally, we are not suggesting any Shades of Grey antics here, but the benefits of boundaries have been explored (another blog alert, we wrote about boundaries last year) and the verdict is, having too many choices can be counter productive for creative output. Examples of how to impose boundaries include limiting your time by setting deadlines, cutting your budget or restricting your environment (what if we had to build this time machine on a desert island, you get the jist).
9. Lose the Tech
Pick up a pen, an actual pen, a nice one (I like roller balls) and a notepad with really good paper (I’m a fan of moleskines), or a paint brush, or crayons or finger paint if that floats your boat, but the idea is to have a more physical connection with your ideas.
10. Stop reading blogs about creativity.
Step away from this extremely informative blog and go DO something creative, take any of the tips above and go get some fresh new ideas.
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Image Credits: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/87690240@N03/29529029005″>Torre di S.Andrea – Puglia, Italy – Seascape photography</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>(license)</a>
