Creativity isn’t just for ‘creative’ people.

We can all tap into our inner resources to come up with new ideas and different ways of looking at things. Sometimes you just need a little distance from the project or situation you’re immersed in to allow new ideas to come in. 

From experience, some of my best ideas have popped into my head at the end of a yoga class, just before I’ve fallen asleep (thanks brain) and in the shower. Creativity requires some mental space before it will show up, so step aside and get ready to make room folks.

Here are 15 ways you can boost your creativity:

• Take your laptop and work in a different place
• Meditate daily to clear some headspace
• Use a mindmap to brainstorm ideas (even the whacky ones)
• Go for a walk
• Take a short nap (no more than 30 minutes)
• Move your body 
• Visit an art gallery and immerse yourself in creativity
• Spend an hour in active rest (gardening, knitting, colouring etc)
• Revisit ‘failures’ and see what you can learn
• Take a day off
• Idea bounce with a friend or colleague
• Journal
• Go outside and sit on the grass for 10 minutes
• Take a shower
• Talk to a coach or mentor

Making sure you’re both well hydrated (with water, not gin) and well rested (the average person needs 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night) will also help keep your creative juices flowing too.

I’ve found a really helpful question to reflect on when I’m working on something new is to keep asking ‘what else?’ and jot down the answers. Once you switch your creative brain on, there’s often no stopping it, so keep a notebook at the ready and get ready for the ideas to flow in.

“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.”

– Albert Einstein