10 ways to boost your creativity

10 ways to boost your creativity

Here are some mental and physical approaches to boost your creativity:

1. Absorb as much information as possible

Research, watch, explore, discover… The information-gathering phase is crucial. Don’t hesitate to immerse yourself in your new creative project. There’s nothing worse than finishing a project and suddenly finding many great solutions that could have been used if only you’d done better research beforehand. Use all available means: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, magazines, books, television. Go ahead, don’t hesitate!

2. Reconceptualize the problem

Creative people often tend to reconceptualize problems before starting a creative task. As Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” Instead of looking at the final objective of a creative project, it’s better to analyze the problem from all angles before starting. Often, the best approach is to envision the target audience for your next creative project. What inspires them? What are they tired of hearing about? Which problems do they often face but rarely get the chance to discuss?

3. Distinguish between absorption and creation

It’s been shown that we are particularly terrible at creating when we try to combine information gathering with creation. Instead, try to absorb information without performing other tasks. When you’re in a state of consuming information, don’t interrupt yourself to start creating segments of your project, even if many ideas cross your mind. Instead, use software like Notes to jot down your main ideas that you can later apply during the creation phase.

4. Stay positive

While sometimes a negative mindset can boost your creativity, researchers have found that it’s when we’re in a very positive mindset that we do our best creative work. In fact, creative thinking is amplified when we feel like we’re in love! Getting into a positive state of mind isn’t that complicated. Several methods have proven effective: doing a few quick physical exercises before work, visualizing the future, recalling positive memories, etc. All these methods will work to influence your mood. Your creative efforts will be maximized when your positive attitude is at its peak.

5. Use counterfactual thinking

Counterfactual thinking, or reflecting on events that didn’t happen but could have under certain conditions (if… then…), can boost your creativity for a short period. To experiment with this technique, take an event that has already happened and imagine different outcomes by alternating between subtracting and adding elements to the event (e.g., if I had done this instead, then I would have achieved this result…).

6. Daydream… but only after you’ve started the work

While daydreaming can help with creativity, it’s important to note that daydreaming only works if you’ve already started a project. The reason? Daydreaming is beneficial because it allows for the incubation of ideas. But incubation is only effective when you already have information to chew on. So, make sure to start your project before daydreaming.

7. Limit your options

If nothing else works, to kick your brain into high gear, you can impose restrictions during the creation process, which will prevent you from doing the same old thing. If you usually use 1000 words to write a story, try writing one in less than 500 words. Use only a few chords to create a song or limit your colors in your designs. The restrictive nature of the task can bring out your more creative side.

8. Think about others

A study found that people who believed their work would be used by someone else ended up coming up with better ideas. Conversely, those who were told their work would only be for themselves later came up with less good ideas. During your creative period, imagine how someone else might benefit and integrate your creation into their life.

9. Rest

Sometimes, the more we search for ideas and struggle with a problem, the less the solution comes to mind. Some people perform better in the morning. Their ideas are clearer, and solutions come faster. It’s then about using the first part of the day to solve major problems or create and the second part of the day for manual work. If you need to boost your creativity throughout the day, frequent breaks or a quick nap can refresh your ideas.

10. Cut out the noise

As much as it is crucial to use all means of communication for information gathering, these can become a hindrance during the creation phase. You can quickly lose a lot of time and get sidetracked from your main task. The shadow of procrastination then lurks behind you, watching you. So, when it’s time to create, cut out the noise: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, magazines, books, television, etc.

And You?

What do you do to boost your creativity?