9 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Ability to Think Creatively

(Part 1)

Recently, I stumbled into a bit of a writer’s block in one of my personal projects. I’ve loved writing since I was young. But at that time, it seemed so much easier to come up with creative ideas. Sure, they might’ve been silly, unrealistic ideas-but there is no doubt they were creative.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed a gradual change in my writing. Of course, in some ways this has been good-I’ve learned how to sound better on paper, and I’ve learned to toss the ideas that don’t work so well. But a downside to this has meant that imagination has been harder to come by. It seems now like being creative takes more intention and effort-whereas, when I was a child, I could be creative without even trying. It just came so naturally.

In fact, generally, children have a natural propensity for creativity . As we grow older, that often wanes. We fall into routines, habits of thinking, as our brains seek for efficiency in storing new memories. And while this aids our brains’ efficiencies, we lose some of that ability for divergent thinking-thinking in new, different ways. I say we lose it, but really, that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. Creativity, though simply a pattern of thought, is like any other muscle-the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. As you practice, your brain becomes more adept at using that way of thinking.

So how do you regain this childlike imagination ? In my efforts to overcome my personal writer’s block, I realized there were several things I could do-or stop doing-to improve my own creative ability. These tips could be helpful to any creative out there-whether a writer, content creator, artist, musician, entrepreneur, or simply someone looking to think outside the box when solving problems.

You’re spending too much time indoors

Getting outside in nature has been shown to have huge benefits to the capacity for creative thinking. Fresh air and a fresh environment can help you get your brain out of a rut and think in new ways.

Being active outside (or inside, too) can also help your mind feel more full of energy and perspective. Find something you enjoy-walking, hiking, biking, swimming, yoga. Whatever it is, just get your body moving, and soon the ideas will start flowing, too.

You don’t allow yourself to be bored

Our society doesn’t tend to value boredom all that much. We have too many tasks on the to-do list, chores to be done, and social media and news to keep up with. There’s nothing wrong with being busy, but if you spread yourself too thin, you might notice your brain starts lacking in the ability to think divergently.

If you need a creative boost, give yourself some time to just be. Put the devices away-or at least on “Do Not Disturb.” You don’t need all the flashing lights and buzzing sounds distracting you. Let your mind wander and wonder about random ideas and questions. If you feel it’s necessary, schedule a little boredom in your life on a regular basis.

You don’t have enough brain space

Sometimes, your creativity gets blocked when you just have too much commotion in your mind. You’ve got things stressing you out and at least partially occupying your brain when you’re trying to come up with creative solutions. What you need is to get all that out. You need a brain dump.

This simply means writing out everything on your mind. If you’re trying to remember all the things you need to do, just write them down. If you’re worried about a problem you need to solve or a decision you need to make, write down all the pros and cons to both sides. Even if you don’t solve all your concerns right this second, you’ll free up creative brain space just by getting it all out on paper.

You’re not brainstorming right

If you’re in a creative rut, you’ve probably tried a brainstorm. It seems to be the go-to solution for this kind of problem. But sometimes we forget what the purpose of a brainstorm is.

We think we should only list the good ideas. But you need to list the bad ones, too. In fact, every single idea you have related to the topic-no matter how silly or dumb or unrealistic it may seem-needs to be written out. Loosen up and have fun with this process! Once you allow your mind to just be weird with it, you’ll start to open the floodgates and allow all the other (good) ideas to flow through.

Along with brainstorming is the importance of being ready for any idea that hits you unexpectedly. Whether you’re at the dog park or sitting in a meeting, if an idea hits you, don’t depend on yourself to remember it for later. Write it down! As soon as possible. I once heard a tip for writers to keep a “stash notebook,” that they carry with them at all times so they’re always prepared to stash any creative ideas that come to them. Lucky for us, we can just as easily record these thoughts in our phones.

Check out part 2 of this article and learn 5 more tips to improve your ability to think outside the box.

Originally published at https://parkwriters.com on May 5, 2021.