Sometimes when I’m working on a creative project, I’m not feeling it. My brain is foggy, or I feel tired. Either way, creativity is stumped and so is the project. When this happens I have found a number of ways to kick start innovative thought and get the ideas flowing again.
- Ask a kid. Any kid will do. They see things we don’t see because we are usually overthinking it.
- Reframe the problem so anyone could understand it. Sometimes boiling things down to its simplest form helps to clarify.
- Ask yourself, if I were a business startup, how would I approach this differently?
- Figure out the why. “Because we have always done it that way” is a bad answer.
- Learn something new. Just the process of learning jump starts the brain.
- Brainstorm alone or in a group.
- Mindmap the project. Seeing it in a visual way can help you gain perspective.
- Read or listen to a book. Also known as “stepping away” from the project to clear my head.
- Do the opposite of the expected. Often approaching things in reverse, help me realize what I’m missing.
- Be open to the possibilities. Sometimes my own bias is the problem and I need to open my mind to something new.
- Maintain some margin in your schedule. Being overwelmed is a creativity killer.
- Change environments. Sometimes just working from a coffee shop or on the back porch helps give me a new perspective.
- Study another industry for ideas you can adapt. The ideas are limitless this way.
- Aim for quantity, not quality. Being overly critical of every thought will stifle creativity. Let the ideas flow without criticism and figure out if they make sense later.
- If all else fails, take a shower. Not joking. This works.
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