Want to Be More Creative? Do Less, Not More
A creative mind is hard to shut off. Once you’re inspired by something you saw online or a great conversation, the brain lights up with ideas. But for all of the pins, apps, and dream boards you’ve collected to stay surrounded by motivation, what you’re actually doing is just avoiding getting started.
How many times have you started a sentence with, “I should do…”? Or thought to yourself, “I could make that”? You probably could – if you just decluttered a little.
Instead of brainstorming, buying color-coordinated Post-it notes and promising yourself to be more creative next year, do less and start making more.
Reset to zero.
This doesn’t mean throw away all your worldly possessions and live in the woods (though I’m sure Thoreau would beg to differ). Resetting to zero means clearing the internal clutter. Don’t let weeks of creative thoughts build up in your head, especially the ones you know won’t actually happen. Keep a notebook or digital document, write down everything. Then consider that your external hard drive for your brain – you don’t have to use up space and memory in both at the same time. (Credit: Thinkstock)
Stop stressing yourself out – it can cause major problems in your big, creative brain.
Staying busy has become a sort of badge of honor in the 21st century. We can’t seem to stop working, even though it’s the number one cause of stress. Studies have shown that stress can damage (even shrink!) various parts of the brain, including the part that’s central to memory and learning.
By taking on more projects than we can handle, we are more susceptible to stress and that not only makes it difficult to accomplish anything, it also changes how our brain functions. Alternatively, creative thinking reduces stress and may even lead to a longer life. It’s kind of a no-brainer. (Credit: Flickr/Allan Ajifo)
“The more you think about it, the more you mess it up.”
This maxim was among the findings of psychiatrist Manish Saggar, lead author of a study at Stanford that found a way to objectively measure creativity.
The experiment showed that when participants (design students) thought too much about what they were drawing, they were less creative. While it’s arguably difficult to define creativity, it’s safe to say you can accomplish more when you’re stop thinking and just do it. (Credit: Flickr, Jacob Botter)
Even the sky has limits.
It might seem crazy to put a cap on the brainstorming process, but not setting limits is also preventing you from getting anything done. How many times have you struggled to complete a project because you can’t stop thinking about all of the ways you could do it? By adding more ideas to your plate, you’re producing less quality work. Get out of the “What if?” phase and give each task the full attention it deserves. (Credit: Flickr, camdiluv)
Play more.
Children are naturally more creative because their brains are still developing and imagination makes you see the world in a different and totally magical way. Boxes are castles, backyards are obstacle courses and a tiny fairy pays you to lose teeth. While you can’t go back to childhood, you can dedicate time to playing and being weird. You might be surprised how the world looks different again when you’re upside-down on a swing. (Source: Flickr, Austin White)
Shake things up and get moving.
It’s no secret that exercise improves the mood. But studies are now showing that the mood boost also improves creative thinking. Instead of putting your nose to the grindstone, the best thing you can do in a creative rut is walk, dance, bike, swim or some other physical activity away from the screen or project and let those endorphins recharge your brain. (Source: Flickr, D. Sharon Pruitt)
Go to sleep.
Do we really have to tell you all the benefits of sleep? There is no way to do less than when you are asleep. It is essential to your brain’s performance, which is essential to creativity. Listen to your doctors, and you’ll be more creative for it. (Source: Flickr, reynermedia)
You already don’t use a lot of your brain anyway, so save your energy.
Professor Vincent Walsh is one of the world’s highest-ranking cognitive neuroscientists dedicated to the study of creativity. Professor Walsh told Wired in an interview that humans are only aware of less than 1% of the brain’s activity. That’s 99% of your brain’s thoughts and ideas you will never comprehend.
You can’t possibly be more creative by doing more, because your brain is already doing 99% of the work for you. (Source: Flickr, Allan Ajifo)
