Feeling Uncreative? Here's 5 Habits That BOOST Your Creativity (They're Backed By Science, too)
Have you ever sat in front of that white paper that's laying on your desk..
Thinking...
And wondering..
And contemplating..
And trying to come up with something genius...
And suddenly this very paper slowly starts turning into this evil sharp-edged enemy of yours..
It starts making fun you and pointing at you with its non-existant imaginary fingers..
Until all you want to do is let your pencil fall to the floor in defeat..
And crawl back to bed in fetal position?
Ain't no more!
The 5 habits I'm about to share with you are gonna give your creativity such a PUSH..
that you'll have to be careful you don't fall over!
Not only will you have a MUCH easier allowing your creative side to come through...
Soon, the evil white paper will not be laughing at you..
YOU will be laughing at IT!
Because it ain't no longer blank, baby!
Ready?
Let's dive right in!
1. Meditation - silence the mind & make space for something awesome!
OK.
Now that was unexpected.
You might have 100 question marks popping up over your head now,
asking yourself:
What on EARTH does THAT have to do with creativity!?!?!
Well, I'd suggest you read this smart quote, first:
“Make an empty space in any corner of your mind, and creativity will instantly fill it.”
– Dee Hock
Being in a relaxed state is essential for your creative side to come through.
Because if your mind is full of worry.. there's simply no space for creativity!
If your energy is scattered.. it takes much more effort for you to come up with creative solutions!
Makes sense, huh?
"Oh, I haven't called Susie back yet!"
"Damn, did I buy any tomatoes? Shit I think I don't have any left for dinner tonight!"
"Hm, I should probably start studying for the physics exam on Friday.. Or maybe.. I'll just do it tomorrow"
Sounds familiar?
Now, during meditation, you stop engaging in those hectic thoughts that pop up in your mind throughout the day.
And I know what you're thinking.
The word "meditation" can sound a little "woo woo" at first;
reminding you of some beardy yogis on a mountain in the middle of nowhere;
sitting in a circle with their eyes closed an chanting "OMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...."
But meditation is much more than that, nowadays.
It can serve as a tool to silence the on-going - and hella distracting -chatter of your mind...
Relax...
And become present to the moment.
In fact, many highly successful and creative people meditate on a daily basis - simply for its amazing benefits.
Meditation is beneficial for a number of reasons:
it helps you be more in touch with yourself and have more control over your thoughts & feelings (say hello to a sense of inner peace!)
it strengthens your so-called "prefrontal cortex": it becomes easier for you to stay focused (razor sharp focus, baby!)
it helps you to re-focus if your thoughts have been all over the place beforehand (bye bye confusion)
So you can use meditation
All of this SO critical for the creative process!
Plus: IT'S SO EASY!
Here's one way of setting up a meditation practice:
set a timer for 10-20 min
close your eyes
focus on your breath
Sounds basic. And it is. It's simple.
But as you'll notice very soon:
Your mind loooves coming up with all kinds of stories to distract you...
"What am I even doing here?"
"This is boring"
"I should do something else instead"
Every time you notice yourself getting carried away by your thoughts..
just lovingly direct your attention back to your breath.
Remind yourself that you are here; now.
Meditating. Breathing. Being.
Sitting on a planet in the midst of infinite space.
And that's why it's called a meditation practice:
You practice being in the present.
Not in the stories of the past or the future,
but in the now.
That's how you show up as your most creative and naturally productive self!
2. Movement & Physical Exercise - get the creative juices flowin'!
Have you ever noticed that you get some of your best thoughts when you’re on a walk, at the gym, doing yoga, or running in the forest?
You're casually doing you're squats..
And at the 10th rep, there's suddenly this idea and you're like "omg I HAVE TO DO THIS!!"
Ever happened to you?
It’s because when the body is in motion - similarly to meditation - the mind re-focuses and stops stressing about random things (such as the tomatoes you forgot to buy at the supermarket).
Moving your body helps your mind to re-focus and become present.
Physical exercise increases blood (oxygen) flow to the brain for improved cognitive function.
In other words: it gets your creative juices flowing!
Of course, that doesn't mean you have to become a hardcore gym junkie and spend hours on the treadmill from now on.. just to be more creative.
Even just taking a simple walk can work wonders!
In fact many creative geniuses (such as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Satie) believed in walking around for a couple of minutes each day - to spark brilliant new ideas!
And a Stanford study from 2014 scientifically backs this:
daily walks increase creative output by 60%!
Are you still a suspicious little couch potato?