Whether you consider yourself creative or not, everyone can benefit from adding creativity to their life. Creativity promotes success in the workplace, aids in problem-solving in relationships with those we care about, and improves physical and mental wellbeing. Try adding one or more of these creativity boosters to your day and see how it positively affects your life.
Engage in a creativity “warm-up” exercise. Researchers in China asked subjects to imagine alternative uses for a common object such as a paper clip. This resulted in increased brain connectivity that enhanced the subjects’ creative abilities. You can do the same exercise yourself before participating in creative work.
Go for a walk. A Stanford Graduate School of Education study found that “walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.” Not only that, but they found that the boost in creativity continues even once the walk is over.
Put pen to paper. Shifting from working on a screen to the slower pace of pen on paper, has been shown to enable greater focus, which can yield more productivity and, in turn, enhanced creativity. If nothing else, knowing that the brain functions differently depending on the mode of communication is a good reason to integrate writing longhand into your daily rhythm.
Stray from your routine. Or don’t. Some creative types rely heavily on routine because it frees their mind from excessive decision making. Others make a point of shaking up their routines for the stimulus that novelty affords them. If you have few routines, try adding one or two to see how they impact your creativity. Or, if you are a creature of habit, try changing things up when your inventiveness ebbs.
