Wednesday 31 October 2012

Ten Ways To Stimulate Creativity


Wednesday 29 November, 2006
We are often searching for creative solutions to the day-to-day problems of running a business. Creativity can simply be seeing a problem in a brand new light, finding a brand new opportunity, resolving an issue or finding an often unlooked for answer or idea.
We fail to appreciate that our busy work lives can often be blocking and hindering the flow of our creative juices that is the life blood for any business.
I am sure we have all had those moments where we have been struck suddenly with an answer or idea that suddenly seems so obvious that only five minutes earlier was as elusive as the meaning of life.
Have you ever wondered why an answer to a question suddenly appears from nowhere many hours after you originally needed the answer? Or have you ever woken up in the middle of the night or in the morning and got the solution to something you couldn't solve the previous day?
Keeping this pretty simple, the brain actually uses different parts for different types of thought processing.

The 'now' brain

One part of our brain does a fantastic job busily working away on all of our current  tasks, but this is not always the best with coming up with new ideas or problem solving.

Creative brain

Another part of the brain processes the more complicated or creative thoughts and this tends to process away without any conscious effort. So without realising it, our brain is actually working hard for us on all sorts of ideas. All we need to do is take the time to listen.
The real key to creative thinking is to find ways to turn down the busy 'now' processing part of the brain, which tends to shout over and block the creative part of the brain. This explains why so many of our ideas come at rather random moments.
Following below are some quick tips that I use to listen to my creative brain.
  1. Take a shower

    Don't rush, but let the hot water wash away any limitations to thinking freely. This is where I get all my best ideas.
  2. Go for a long run or walk

    Go at a steady pace and let your mind do the rest.
  3. Get a massage

    Close your eyes and let your imagination float while your "quiet" massage therapist works away.
  4. Yoga

    This really stretches and relaxes the body but is really good for unwinding the mind.
  5. Talk, talk, talk

    Talking things through can be a great way to untangle the knots inside your head. Find a great listener.
  6. Listen

    Take time out and just listen to other people. This can be at work, in the street or anywhere. Ideas are often found floating on the wind.
  7. Stop!

    Just stop what you are doing, leave it and go do something completely different for a while.
  8. Meditate

    Great for turning off the world and opening yourself to new possibilities.
  9. Go for a long swim

    The repetitive nature is really great for freeing the mind.
  10. Go home and sleep on it

    A new day with new energy and new ideas.
Source:ceoonline.com

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