Do you find it difficult to come up with new and innovative ideas? For those that struggle to keep up with the stream of suggestions from colleagues, it’s easy to make the excuse that you’re just not the “creative type”. Don’t let this stop you!
There are plenty of ways that you can learn to become a more creative thinker. Give the tips and tricks below a try and see how your creativity flourishes.
1. Read something different
If you’re always reading the same types of novels or magazines you may want to try something new that you wouldn’t normally read. Trying a new genre will open you up to different vocabulary and will help you to develop a different knowledge base. Reading something different will challenge your mind and hopefully stimulate some new ideas!
If you’re not much of a reader, then pick up a book and give it a go. Here are some top career books that we recommend.
2. Explore new experiences
Getting stuck into new experiences will help you to learn new skills. This can be anything from watching a film in a genre you don’t usually watch or starting a new hobby that you hadn’t thought of before. You’ll be surprised by how much new experiences can teach you things that you can apply to your career.
3. Stick to a healthy diet
Eating healthily is known to boost your cognitive abilities (as well as your physical strength). It also has a big impact on your creativity, so if you want to take some snacks to work try to stick with the healthy ones.
4. Get active
We know that doing exercise is good for us. It helps us to have a healthy mind and a healthy body and it’s great for creativity too! Christopher Bergland explains on Psychology Today that ‘exercise allows your conscious mind to access fresh ideas that are buried in the subconscious’.
5. Travel more
Visiting new places can be extremely inspiring and new cultures and places often spark new ideas. While you won’t want to spend your entire holiday thinking about work, taking some time away and a step back from the every day can give you perspective that will help you to think of new ideas.
6. Work with others
Bouncing ideas off other people is a fantastic way to come up with innovative solutions. Setting time aside to simply come up with and discuss new ideas will leave everyone feeling more creative and inspired.
7. Turn the lights down
Here’s a new one for you, working in a dimmer setting can actually increase your creativity levels. This is because we tend to feel more free in dim lighting which helps us to solve problems more creatively. So next time you have a problem, dim the lights and see what solutions you come up with.
8. Work somewhere different
Working in a more relaxed environment, like a coffee shop, should help you to think more creatively. No wonder Starbucks is always filled with freelancers!
9. Don’t stop daydreaming
Daydreaming isn’t necessarily a bad thing (unless you do it all day long). A little bit of daydreaming could actually improve your creative thought processes. Letting your mind wander off can often help us to develop new ideas and scenarios. Just be sure to come back to reality and write your ideas down when you get some good ones!
Bringing it all together
Developing your creative skills isn’t as straightforward and learning some of the other workplace skills, however, it is certainly achievable and very beneficial for your career. Give these tips a go and see where your creative thinking takes you.