Don’t we all want to be more creative? Wouldn’t it be great to just snap our fingers and have unique ideas flow like a waterfall? It’s not always that easy. Usually creative ideas are born out of the loving union of our imagination and our experience. However, there’re three main qualities which could help us develop this amazing and desirable skill called creativity. Open-mindedness, discipline and focus.
Let’s look at each one of them individually.
Open-mindedness
This one is rather predictable. Whenever we think about creativity, we assume it’s connected with out-of-the-box mentality. We hear so much talk about getting out of our comfort zone, trying new things, enjoying new experiences. I personally have been talking about it a lot in the last few years.
Open-mindedness is a quality which allows us to see the world without limits and peer through the walls of normality. It breaks barriers and opens new doors for us.
How much of this quality do you possess and how much do you need to develop it? If you often find yourself disagreeing with people, striving to prove your point and thinking you’re always right, there’s a chance you need to work on being more open-minded.
My biggest desire and challenge these days is to destroy the borders of my imagination. I always used to think within the limits of social conventions and almost never allowed myself to break those barriers. Join me on this new path.
It’s a journey of reaching the heights of creativity, utilizing our uniqueness and giftedness. My personal journey started some time ago, but there’s still so much work to be done! What about you?
Discipline
There’s so much to be said about the importance of discipline! Why do you think it’s crucial for our creativity? Shouldn’t we feel free from schedules and deadlines if we want to create efficiently? The answer is “no”.
Ask people of art how much work they postpone every day. Once I heard that writers are the biggest procrastinators in the world. A lot of them say that without discipline they would never have had anything done.
More than a year ago I started my own war with procrastination. It took me awhile to discipline myself to wake up earlier in the morning, read more, eat less sweets and stop putting work off till tomorrow. This is an ongoing war with some battles won and some of them lost, but I will never give up striving for better self-discipline and stronger willpower.
Focus
This quality is extremely important for those of us hoping and dreaming to create something extraordinary. Whether you need to come up with the best solution or idea for your project, or you’re working on a book, focus will save the day for you.
Have you ever tried to brainstorm for ideas when there are people walking around in your office? Do you tend to plan your days in such a way that there’s almost no quiet time for thinking and generating ideas? This has been one of my biggest challenges so far.
Apparently, if you want to come up with something truly unique, you must get into a flow. And it’s impossible to get into this special state of flow if you can’t focus and are always distracted.
So, here are a few ways to get focused:
- Listen to the music without words. Research shows that classical music stimulates creativity and brain activity whereas music with beat will increase your productivity.
- Schedule several hours of time for your creative brainstorming sessions with yourself or your teammates. If it’s a priority for you, allocate special time for it.
- Change the environment. Get our of your office and go to a cafe. You will be surprised how productive you become when you have only an hour and nobody from your office is around.
- Make sure you have enough sleep because your brain won’t work normally if it requires more rest than you usually give it. It will eventually shut down and you’ll need a cup of coffee or a nap.
- Remind yourself why this work is important for you. When you motivate yourself with your own WHY, it’s easier to fight distractions and get focused on your work or on your creative process.
As for me, I’ve been using all of these methods. The first and the third have been most effective in my case. What about you? What helps you focus?
Please share how you became more open-minded, disciplined and focused. I would like to hear about your journey.
