When you’re running a business, each day brings new challenges and new opportunities. Some of these can be addressed fairly straightforwardly. Others may require some out-of-the-box thinking. That’s a problem for business owners who find that their creative juices are waning, or that they just can’t get into the right headspace for truly uninhibited problem solving.
And truthfully? We’ve all been there. There are days when I’m not exactly creatively energized, either—days where I feel stuck in a rut. The good news is that there are ways to get out of that rut and reignite that creative spark.
Let me share just a few of the methods that tend to work well for me.
Practical Tips to Renewed Creativity
Do something menial, physical, and active. Take your dog for a walk. Go out to your yard and pull some weeds. Spend an hour on the treadmill. Get your blood circulating and your mind free to wander, free to find its way to new angles and new points of view.
Get a change of scenery. Pack up your laptop and your work files and head to a coffee shop, a library, or even a park bench somewhere. You’d be amazed at how a physical change in perspective can lead to a creative one.
Play a game. Creativity and play are closely connected. Spend a few minutes playing chess with someone, picking up a game of mancala, or simply cuing up a game on your phone, tablet, or video game system. This isn’t wasted time; it may very well lead your brain to a new way of problem-solving.
Relax. Take a hot shower, go get a massage, or simply chill with a good book. Do something to ease tension and allow your mind to drift.
Journal. Go sit somewhere you can people-watch—an airport, a coffee shop, the park, the mall—and bring a legal pad with you. Write down some observations about the folks you see. This is an amazing way to refocus your brain.
Beating your head against the desk isn’t going to help you think creatively—but maybe stepping out of the office, and shifting your focus to something else, will.