Creative problem-solving can be applied to any aspect of life; you don’t have to paint masterpieces or build skyscrapers to find solutions to your problems. Think about how people approach problems and find solutions every day! Whether they’re brainstorming ideas at work or thinking up ways around traffic on their way home from a meeting, all these little acts are significant examples of creativity.
What is Creativity?
There are many books about how creativity is defined and how to teach people creative thinking skills
- The vital thing to note about creativity is that there are moments when it can be challenging
- Having a few creative techniques at your disposal will make the process easier
Take a Walk
Walking helps with creativity and improves sleep quality.
- A study found that when participants were given two hours of mild activity throughout the day, including a walk in between lunch and dinner, they experienced increased cognitive function compared to those who remained seated for the entire period.
Create Restrictions
Research studies show that restricting choice by limiting people’s options has boosted creativity
- When fewer choices are available, we are forced to focus on what really matters and hone our attention skills
- In 1985 Edward DeBono wrote a book called Six Thinking Hats, which unveiled a problem-solving model consisting of six mindsets
- You can wear the six different colored hats to try on a different perspective
- Each hat gives you access to information that is usually blocked by other perspectives and allows your mind multiple entry points in solving problems or making decisions
Stay Curious and Keep Learning
Try keeping a beginner’s mind and train yourself to focus on fewer puzzles and more mysteries.
- What sources of information should you explore fully before starting the idea generation phase?
- Are you curious about all aspects or just some things? Is there a “something more” that you’re not considering here?”
Get Emotional
When you’re feeling down, try to get creative
- The creative process helps people get out of a bad mood
- Exercising your creative skills can help you forget whatever it was that made you upset in the first place
- Positive and negative emotional states can actually boost creativity
Develop a Growth Mindset
Believe that your abilities are malleable and not fixed, which means they can improve over time through effort.
- Successful people with a growth mindset have an optimistic approach to challenges instead of those who see them as insurmountable obstacles
- Try new things more often and let go of old ideas more quickly than their less successful counterparts.
Mind Maps
An informal brainstorming session that helps gather thoughts without worrying about being categorized or organized later
- Ideal for recording wildest and craziest ideas without stopping to be critical or self-edit
- Many apps and computer programs can help you mind map your way to creative solutions, but nothing beats a big piece of paper and crayons
Collaborate
Collaboration can be a powerful tool for boosting creativity
- Learn from each other and hold one another accountable for their actions
- Keep each other honest
- Work with a friend or co-worker on a creative project to boost productivity and be more productive
Final thoughts
There are numerous ways to boost your creativity, and it just takes time for us all to figure out what works best for each person individually
- Share your favorite tip with me, or share any other ideas about how one might be more creative on my social channels.
Stop Being So Focused
The best ideas come to us when we’re not even trying
- Staring at an object and allowing your eyes (and mind) to soften focus will often help unlock solutions that might not occur if we were in a state of hyper-focused attention on one detail
Pick a Terrible Idea
If you can’t come up with the best idea ever, maybe try coming up with a terrible one. This will help shift your mindset and make it easier to think of better ideas than what you originally came up with.
- A producer once had off-the-wall suggestions, and they were so awful that his collaborators and he somehow immediately came up better solutions.
Practice Meditation
Even meditation for as little as 30 minutes per day for a week leads to increased creativity and emotional regulation abilities
- You are the best judge of how you should meditate to improve your own creative thinking
- Remember that even five minutes can help you feel more centered and open-minded
