Creativity is an extremely important part of running a business. Let’s face it, if you’re continuously rehashing the same old tricks and ideas in the same way that you’ve done it since the ’80s, you’re going to be left behind in the dust by competitors.
Creativity helps your business flourish by bringing new and innovative ideas to the table; ideas that can give your company the facelift it needs. So here are 3 tips for thinking outside the box and getting those creative juices flowing!
Figure Out If You’re A Morning Person Or A Night Person
Many of us would consider ourselves one of two kinds of people: a morning person or a night person. It’s the time of day when you feel most awake and energized, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best time to be creative. It’s actually the opposite of what you think. Typically, morning people are better at being creative in the evening, and night people are better at solving problems in the morning. Weird, huh? The reasoning behind this is that when your mind gets tired, your focus actually broadens. When your mind is awake and focused on one task, you actually limit the amount of possibilities and directions that you can take with your business, therefore limiting your potential creativity. It’s kind of like when you’re lying in bed at night, tired from a long day of work, but your brain just won’t shut off. Use that exhaustion to your advantage!
More Distraction Is Better
Seems like a paradox, right? Most of us would assume that being completely distraction free, in our quiet place, would be the best environment for being creative. But according to Harvard University researcher and psychologist Shelley H. Carson, our bodies release much more dopamine, an important neurotransmitter, when we’re doing a distracting mental activity, such as driving, running, showering, or dreaming. And that dopamine aids in many important brain functions, such as memory, attention, and learning. So maybe watching Netflix while brainstorming ways to optimize your social media marketing strategy isn’t such a bad idea.
Find The Best Time Of Day To Write Out Your Ideas
But just because you shouldn’t brainstorm when you’re alert doesn’t mean you can’t write our your ideas during this time. For morning people, like me, writing out ideas in the morning can be efficient because 1) we have the most willpower in the morning, 2) we’re usually in better moods. For the night person reading this, writing out ideas at night can be efficient because 1) it’s the end of the work day and (hopefully) there are no distractions. 2) your experiences from the day might have inspired your or given you a great idea, and 3) deadlines are less apparent in the evening after business hours are over and allow you to be more emotionally involved in your creative thinking. It’s important to make sure you’re using this time solely for writing and NOT for actually brainstorming.
So don’t be afraid to be distracted and a little mentally tired when you start to think of creative endeavors for your company! It might just generate the perfect storm for innovation in your life.
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