10 Ways to Boost Creativity by Doing Less
If you feel like you’ve been spinning your wheels without getting anywhere lately, it may be time to stop working so hard. By actually doing less,
you may free up some mental and physical space, allowing your
creativity to bloom and making your days more productive (and less
stressful). When your life is filled to
overflowing with things, events and to-dos, the busyness tends to crowd
out calm, contemplation and creativity. Here are 10 ways to make a positive change.
1. Think less.
When you have a million things on your mind, it is impossible to focus
on just one. Practice taking a mindful minute to refocus yourself at
certain intervals each day. Using
a routine you already do as a cue (like making tea) can make it much
easier to remember to do this. You don’t need any special equipment or
skills to practice mindfulness — simply focus on your breathing and notice your thoughts as they occur, without holding on to any of them.
2. Take fewer photos. When
you can snap dozens of photos with your digital camera in a few
seconds, it’s easy to accumulate way too many not-great shots. Why not
try focusing your mind on what exactly it is you want to capture before
shooting, and limit yourself to a single shot at a time? Restraining
yourself will help sharpen your eye, resulting in better photographs
over time.
3. Spend less time at your desk. Raise your hand if you spend a lot of time at your desk daydreaming, shopping online and reading blogs (basically, doing anything but work). If that’s you, don’t beat yourself up —
we all do it! It’s not natural for your body to stay seated and your
mind to stay focused on one task for hours at a time. Get up, go
outside, take a walk, make some tea or call a friend. Do something different to shake things up, and you can return to your desk refreshed and ready to get to work.
4. Surround yourself with less stuff. Clutter
in your immediate environment can distract you and even pull down your
mood. Clear away the excess and tidy up what’s left — be ruthless, especially when it comes to your workspace and creative areas.
5. Offer fewer options. People get overwhelmed by too many options —
so rather than offering everything you can think of, narrow it down to
the best you have. In your personal life, doing what you can to limit
choices is a good way to stop frittering away energy. Keep recurring
shopping lists and favorite recipes so you don’t have to reinvent the
wheel every time. Curate your business and your life.
6. See fewer people. We
all know that being too isolated is not good, but something you may not
hear as often is that some alone time is actually vital to creativity.
While certain projects work better in a group environment, with everyone
contributing ideas, sometimes it is best to retreat to your corner and
think things over on your own. In your personal life, make sure you are
giving yourself enough alone time to revive yourself and refill your
well between activities and social engagements.
7. Do less research. Do
you overresearch? I admit I do! And while it is admirable to want to
find the very best of whatever it is you are seeking, there is a time
when enough needs to be enough. Overresearching leads to burnout and
wasted time.
8. Spend less money. Sometimes
when we are feeling less than inspired, the allure of a new product,
book, article of clothing or gadget can seem like a quick fix — when actually, more often than not, making do with what you have leads to more creative solutions. Make it work!
9. Spend less time waffling.
If you find yourself going back and forth over a decision you need to
make, step back and do something else instead. Once you have all of the
facts, making decisions often comes down to a gut feeling —
and gut feelings are much easier to listen to when you are feeling
fresh. Go away and commit to making a quick decision when you come back.
