How to remain creative in a busy world (4 bulletproof suggestions)
Creativity is about finding new ways to solve a problem. As such, it’s not always something you can force out mechanically. Creative ideas usually come unexpected, and we need to be ever ready to grab them when they come.
However, because of our busy lives as adults, trying to keep up with the hassles and obligations every day, we have smaller windows to catch a glimpse of creative ideas. Personally, I can go days without having a creative breakthrough because I allow myself to be swamped by the burdens of work, bills, keeping up social relationships, etc.
There are still a few bulletproof methods that have helped maintain my creative flow for over two years now, and I hope you will find at least one of them useful.
1. Maintain your source
Before you can maintain a source of creativity, you need to have one. Your source is where you consistently gain creative ideas from. It could be by talking to a person (or group of people), reading books, watching YouTube videos or even movies, reading articles, through hobbies, your previous work, the list goes on.
Whatever your source is, it should be more uplifting than it is discouraging. I say this because some sources can even make us feel worse about lack of creativity, than inspire us to do the needful. Your source should inspire you.
Also, work with something that is easily accessible. For instance, don’t hope to gain constant creativity from a hobby you rarely have time for. The best source in is something you can draw from everyday, like a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood in the evening or a 5 minute podcast you can listen to on the way to work, or while doing the dishes.
2. Talk to creatives frequently
For people who already do this to get creative ideas, you’re on a roll. But for people like me whose primary source of creativity is through activities and inanimate objects, it is important to build a network of like-minded people we can draw from.
When I first started writing on Medium in 2019, I reached out to a friend a year later because my stories weren’t getting enough reads and comments. She gave me a few solid ideas, and they seemed to work when I put them into practice. I would have never thought in that direction, because my anxiety had already clumped my thoughts up in a box. I just needed a like-minded person to have a view and then open up my mind to new possibilities.
3. Set fixed times for brainstorming
If you can set fixed times for meeting at work to get a task done, then you can create time to brainstorm a creative solution for yourself. And yes, creativity can’t always be forced, but there are brainstorming methods for individuals and groups that can help.
One book that has been helpful for this is titled Creativity and Problem Solving by Arthur B. Vangundy. It offers 101 activities that can help improve creativity. I highly recommend.
Asides for being actively involved in the process, you should have a list of creative ideas that come to you unexpected. I have this list on my phone where I just dump sketchy ideas for how to write my next article or record a new podcast. This can eve serve as a base for your next brainstorming session and ultimately makes it easier to come up with creative ideas.
4. Stay accountable
The thought of creativity brings freedom to our minds. It’s normal to want to take all the time in the world to create something — write an article, edit a video, record a podcast, paint something, whatever. In reality, you don’t have all the time. And you must keep tangible reminders, like having goals and monthly milestones and weekly to-dos. This will help you more conscious in brainstorming ideas and solutions, because you have deadlines to meet.
Not setting deadlines for your creative process causes procrastination.
Sometimes, you must let go of the urge for perfection and just release your work into the world, no matter how ‘half-baked’ it may seem. Personally, the more I write, the more creative ideas I get on how to write better. But if I hold on to one article for two long and keep trying different creative ideas with it, I will never publish it. And it won’t serve its ultimate purpose.
Remember that your creativity is for your audience, not just you. Having strict deadlines helps you push your work out regardless of how unique its design is. Hopefully, with feedback and time, you’ll continue to develop more creative work.
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
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