1. Take notes - Always carry a notebook with you or simply use notes on your mobile phone, because it happens that we have an idea however if we immediately don´t mark it down it´s no longer "available" later, and inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places and moments. The average person has about 50,000 thoughts during the day, at least a few of those 50,000 must be creative, don’t forget to take notes.
2. Do something completely new - change your routines. According to research, the part of the brain that is associated with creativity ‘likes’ to do something new from time to time, so take a new path to work, master a new skill or start a new hobby.
3. Sources of creativity are all around us - if you feel creative stagnation - do not despair; instead, watch a new movie, inspire yourself through photos, surround yourself with new people, listen to a new album - all this can encourage us to new ideas because it affects the expansion of horizons and ultimately creativity.
4. Take time just for yourself - when a person forgets what his goals are in life or when he disconnects from his inside, a creative block follows. So don’t find it hard to set aside one hour a day, one day a week, or as much as your commitments allow you to dedicate to yourself alone. “Take yourself out” for a coffee, go out on your own in nature, for a walk, do something you loved to do when you were younger, something that made you happy or whatever you need to “get back to yourself”.
5. Travel - studies show a strong correlation between travel and creativity! Through the journey we meet new people, customs, cultures, which helps the brain to create new connections and synapses.
6. Get out of your comfort zone- sometimes we just can't see the forest for the trees but if we decide to change the angle of looking at things, move beyond our borders and expand our horizons, it will definitely affect creativity.
7. Get enough sleep - it has been scientifically proven that intermittent REM phases of sleep can slow down brain function. Because of this, it often happens that people who are chronically tired have to read the simplest sentence several times to understand it. This can be key to creativity and to generating and remembering new ideas.
8. Relax regularly - the pace of life and daily commitments can become hectic and in the blink of an eye, you are already overwhelmed with fatigue, negativity, and stress greatly affects creativity. Everyone has their own way to relax; for some it's video games, physical activity, for others it's a trip to nature, yoga and meditation, whatever it is - don't forget to relax :)
9. Change the work environment - if you work from home or from your office, change something in the interior - paint the walls with different colors, decorate the table with some new details or simply become part of a coworking space such as a tershouse and you´ll be constantly inspired because of new stories you hear every day from your coworkers.
10. Less planning, more spontaneity - having a clear structure in everything we do is very important and affects efficiency, success and productivity. However, if every minute is planned for you, you can very much limit your creative impulses and thoughts. Next time, try to start working on a task and a project guided by intuition without much planning.
11. Association Games - free association will help you change the direction of your thoughts. You can practice this in various ways, for ex. open a book and from the first page that opens choose 5 words to write down. Then try to relate those words to your current life situation or the current project you are working on. You will be amazed how many unexpected ideas can be generated from this method.
