Creativity

We live in a hectic time. Ours is an instant gratification society. We want it now. Yet, as we reflect on the best things in our lives, we often find the truly important things (like relationships, love and peace) took time to develop.

The ‘always on’ nature of the tools we use in business can all too easily trap us into believing that we can function as machines too. But we’re not machines, we’re human beings.

Is there a way to achieve peak performance and happiness in life too? Of course. Here are five factors which, when practiced consistently in your life, will help you tap into the giant creativity reservoir you have within.

1. Find your peak mental timeYou may hear some people say “I’m a morning person” while others say they don’t really get started until 11pm. There is no right or wrong in these situations, but it is vital to know who YOU are and go with that rather than fighting it. One great way to discover your peak time is to keep a log of how you feel. Keep a log for a week, noting when you felt the sharpest. Then arrange your work around these peak hours, planning the most important tasks for this time. Many have found that once they harmonize with who they really are, they get much more done in less time.

2. Make a ‘creativity appointment’ with yourselfPlan 30 minutes every day DURING this peak time for a “creativity appointment”. Make this time as undisturbed as possible. Use this time to connect deeply with your mission in life.

3. Get ready to solve a problemDuring this time, think deeply for the first 10 minutes about the biggest problem you face. Allow yourself to play ‘what if’ about the challenge you face. If you had every resource a person could have, would it still BE a problem? What if you tackled it and did nothing else? Would that solve it? What if you neglected it completely for two weeks? Would that make it worse, or make it go away?

4. Let your subconscious workAfter these 10 minutes, and for the rest of the time, let your mind wander anywhere it wants to go. If possible, look outside and look at the sky. Even better, go outside and hear the sounds of nature. You want to think expansively now, to consider all possibilities.

5. Prepare for the answerDuring this quiet time, keep a pad and pen handy and write down any new and creative thoughts that come to you. You may find that during this time new, and very exciting, thoughts and possibilities rush into your mind. Write each one down, no matter how silly they may seem.

Be consistent. The more often you keep your creativity appointments, the more you will find that you have the “aha!” moments during your day, when solutions to problems just pop into your mind.

Expand the appointments to include a half-day a month and you will unleash even more creativity. Soon, you will hunger for these times because you will find that it is while doing nothing at all that something very good gets done.

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Author: Eva Gregory