10 Tactics to Jumpstart Creativity in Your Work

Creativity's placed at the highest cognitive level of thinking, analysis and reasoning skills by learning experts... A recent Gallop Poll reveals that 59% of workers say that their current job brings out their most creative ideas. To ante up your work products, why not try new approaches? Here're suggestions from other bloggers to kickstart your creativity!

1. Darren Rowse advises folks to stimulate your mind differently...

Stimulate yourself with a variety of new sounds, sights, ideas, conversations, tastes, people etc the more creative ideas that seem to come out.

So you hereby have permission to take yourself to see a movie, to read a book, treat yourself to a magazine, to make a new friend, to buy yourself a new CD, to try a new radio station and even to take a trip and visit a new culture!

2. Drew McLellan collects creativity triggers to "twist the common into something fresh and brainwipes...ways to clear your head of that the expected, to make room for new ways of looking at something." Here's one of Drew's favorites:

Be like a reporter. Query the situation, problem, product that you're needing to be creative about. Not a who, what, where, how kind of an interview, but more of an in depth character study. Do it out loud if you have to, but really dig in. Ask probing questions. Assume the persona of your interview subject to "feel" the answers. I know it sounds a little silly but you'll be amazed at the interesting insights. Give it a spin and let me know how it works for you.

3. Seth Godin wisely looks beyond a creative idea:

99% of the time, in my experience, the hard part about creativity isn't coming up with something no one has ever thought of before. The hard part is actually executing the thing you've thought of.

The devil doesn't need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics.

4. Frank Roche tells us to take a child's approach to your task without any fear of the process...


5. Ellen Weber asks, "How do people who problem solve creatively … differ from noncreative counterparts?" Here's two main differences researchers at Drexel University found...

Firstly, creative solvers tend to show greater activity in several regions of their right hemisphere. Apparently, creative individuals even daydream with more remote associations, than noncreative peers. There’s more than making links or connecting unusual pieces though. How so?

Secondly, creative workers differ in areas of the brain that process visual images. Interestingly, their “alpha” and “beta” brainwaves showed diffused rather than focused visual attention. They also create unusual connections ... that less creative people miss.

Maybe you do not realize that Einstein's teacher called him a bonehead at school, but he later visualized the theory of relativity by "riding the curve of the arc."

6. Joanna Young finds that just the right music can help her achieve writing flow...and cut down on writers' block...

This morning I've been experimenting with baroque music. It's supposed to be great for learning and concentration.

7. Daniel Sitter shares how to unleash selling creativity... For creative people the end results might not play out as you anticipate. Daniel says...

Years ago I had a bright idea. I wrote a compelling sales letter and decided to mail it to a hundred prospects which I had identified through an industrial directory.

I decided that my letter would focus upon the core question "Do you suffer from industrial indigestion?" I cleverly glued a Tums® tablet to the page, knowing that I had a marketing winner in my hands! I could hardly wait to print the letters and mail them off.

The letters were mailed on a Monday morning and I began the follow-up calls the following Thursday...My bubble was soon burst by the news that I was hearing from many of the prospects. When they opened my letter, a small pile of mint-scented powder dumped on their desk. Oh yeah, they remembered me alright! It seems that the antacid tablets were crushed by mail-handling machinery; something I had not considered.

While some of the prospects were obviously bothered, most that I spoke with were not and the mailing ended up being quite successful. One way or another, I created an interesting, unforgettable first impression. The effort led to many new customers.

8. Bill Parks tells us that we can actually increase creativity by setting deadlines. Begin by asking: Why might a deadline make a difference to me and my idea? Bill says, "Have you noticed as you get closer to a deadline, you become more creative? Deadlines cause our thoughts and imagination to become active giving us ideas to get the job done before the deadline." Try it... it has made lots of difference for me.

9. Braingle suggests that folks might find more creativity by taking ideas apart. Here's how it works...

Elaborating on an existing idea is a great way to come up with new and better ideas. One way to do this is by taking an idea apart and looking at its components. By looking at one part at a time, you might be able to ignore your preconceived notions about the idea and come up with some interesting improvements.

Start by listing the attributes of the idea. Just the act of listing the individual pieces will get your mind thinking about improvements or modifications. For example, if someone asked you to design a better bird feeder, you might be at a loss about where to start. It's a little overwhelming to tackle a large project all at once. To take it apart, you might list the individual attributes like this:

1. Hook for hanging
2. Container for seeds
3. Covering to shield feeder from rain
4. Perch for birds to sit on
5. Tray to collect fallen seeds
6. Device to prevent squirrels from eating seeds

10. To stir even more uniqueness in your work, check David Airey's collection of creative resources just posted today. David, our minds are running with synchronicity today! And I'm certain Brad Shorr will love that word!

What do you do to ante up new products where you work? I'd enjoy hearing tactics you use to catch a great idea and take it to "out of the box" results. Please provide a link for me and I'll post a sequel.