Creativity is like a muscle. It must be stretched, challenged, and occasionally pushed past its comfort zone. Here are nine ways you can dramatically improve your creativity in just 10 minutes and four must-watch TED talks on creativity in business that will help you stretch your creative muscles.
Learn Through Collaboration
Curiosity will lead you to creativity
- Andrew Ng, formerly of Google and now of Baidu, believes that you can become more creative and innovative systematically
- When you read enough, learn enough, and talk to enough experts, new ideas will start appearing
Ask For Advice or Feedback
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness.
- Ask for help and advice from friends, peers, and people from your personal network that you trust and respect. Even if you don’t use their advice, it may spark some new, creative thinking that will get you to the destination.
Do Something You Love
Do something that pleases you.
- Love and creativity are intertwined. A hobby, such as playing an instrument, running, or collecting memorabilia, can help you relax and fight stress while giving your creativity a boost
- Enjoy doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice the time passes.
Set the Right Mood
Music can be the thing to give your mood, and your creativity, a boost
Find Inspiration From Other Industries
Find innovation in different industries and niches
Use the Six Thinking Hats Technique
Forget everything and begin anew with a blank slate – break it down using six different colored “thinking hats”.
Pick a Terrible Idea
What’s the most useless idea you can imagine? Make a list of the worst ideas you can think up.
Unplug
Best ideas come when you’re not wracking your brain trying to come up with the next great idea
- Relax and let your brain do its magic
- A good night of rest will help you be more productive and creative
- Your next innovative idea will come while you’re driving, exercising, hiking, shopping, sitting on an airplane, or watching the sunset
Walk
The average person sits between 7 and 15 hours every day.
- This is terrible for your health and your mood, which can be terrible for creativity.
- Stanford research has indicated that walking improves creative thinking, and people who take part in walking meetings are more creative and engaged.
