Creativity in the workplace is important to nearly every aspect of your organization’s business. Creativity is what solves problems that seem insurmountable. Creativity is what nurtures breakthrough ideas. Creativity gives you new ways to approach your job and improve productivity and processes.
But it’s not uncommon to feel tapped out of new ideas or creative approaches. If that happens, try these tips.
Set aside time to brainstorm
Creativity is made, not born. You need to make time for it in your day. Say your supervisor asked you for new ideas for a marketing campaign. Nothing may have occurred to you, but it will if you sit down and give yourself a goal of coming up with some ideas.
Write your five best ideas down. Take a break for 24 hours. When you come back, flesh out the ideas a bit more and pick the two best to discuss.
Have creative hobbies
The best way to get your creative juices flowing is to partake of creativity. Playing a musical instrument, playing video games, taking pictures or even finger-painting can all get you into a creative mindset.
Creativity in one area often feeds into areas that might seem totally unrelated. Hobbies that get you thinking creatively will have an impact on work.
Keep an idea file
We’ve all been there: You have a great idea for a new product, a marketing campaign or how to approach a problem suddenly, out of the blue. You might be about to fall asleep or brushing your teeth. By the time you get to work the next day, it’s gone, or much less detailed.
The solution? Write these ideas down. Use a notepad app or keep a notepad on your nightstand. Eventually, you will have a cluster of creative ideas that are a useful backlog to any creative endeavor.
Foster a no-fail environment
People sometimes fear tossing out creative ideas because they fear criticism, or the idea being passed over. The best way to counter that fear is to foster a no-fail environment at work. Praise proactive solutions and suggestions, and never shame or blame.
The more people feel the response to new ideas and suggestions is positive, the more you will receive.
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