How to Get Out of a Creative Rut at Work

People have or will experience a decline in creativity at some point in their life. Scientists pointed out that today’s generation is facing a creativity crisis. This is due to the fast-paced, over-scheduled lives everyone’s been trying to live and the extreme exposure to technology.

It seems that today’s workforce has been focusing on productivity. It has become too busy to be creative. Hence, many fall into a creative rut without even knowing it. If you feel like you’re running out of ideas or cannot develop new solutions, you might be one of them.

Getting out of a creative rut takes some shaking up and taking on new perspectives.

Remove Distractions

If there is something, in particular, keeping you from feeling creative, address it. Maybe it is a bad relationship stressing you out, a lack of time, or even just the pile of paperwork on your desk.

Whatever the reasons may be, address them so you can allow room for creative juices to flow. Identify whether it’s personal matters, intrapersonal issues or your surroundings. Address it appropriately by taking professional and logical steps.

You could also use scheduling techniques, like the Pomodoro method, where you can set a specific chunk of time to focus on work and then a specific time for breaks afterward. You can use this to set aside time to be creative on your calendar that is uninterrupted and consistent.

Remember Why You Do It

Creativity is fueled by your goals and their significance. If you run out of creative ways to execute work, remember the purpose of your doing it. Taking restorative breaks to zone out and gather your thoughts can help you reflect on what you do. Through that, you can remind yourself of why you wanted that job before and what you want to accomplish with it.

You can also consider connecting with colleagues or reaching out to your team to partake in company culture. You and the company must agree on fundatamentals of the company. Integrate through a unified message system, so everyone is on the same page and can get the right inspiration.

Change Your Surroundings

Sometimes, a new view can help you take on a new perspective. If you’re having a bad day and creativity won’t flow, take a quick walk in or around your office, a park, or a new cafe. You can also break your routine a bit and take the route you don’t usually take when going to work or order something new instead of your usual coffee order. The small things can sometimes spark into something brilliant inside you.

However, if your creativity rut is something that’s been happening longer than just a bad day, you might need more time to find perspectives. Take a vacation or go on sabbatical if possible so you can see things from a new angle.

Learn from Others

Just as new surroundings can boost creativity, so can new people. Interacting with new people with different personalities and backgrounds can open the human mind. Meet with creative people to learn about their process and get inspired. Listen to their stories, opinions, and ideas. Maybe you can draw something out of it and find your next great idea.

Consider making this a regular thing where you get together with someone new or a few different people once a month to inspire innovation. Attend events, like seminars, forums, and exhibits, revolving around topics that interest you. You can also try simply mingling with diverse people through festivals, organizations, and hike trips. Make it an adventure and expand your horizon.

Learn Something New

Learning something new is an excellent way to make your mind think differently and increase exposure. Being faced with unfamiliar challenges can be an effective stimulus to wake your creativity and find new perspectives.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be something work-related. You can take a cooking class or learn a new hobby like playing a sport or a musical instrument to help your brain become active and reactive. Opening your mind to new learnings and developing new skills lets you rediscover yourself. It breaks the monotonous methods you have developed over time, allowing you to make new paths and create new ways of thinking.

Let Your Creativity Flow Free

Creativity is significant for innovation, but it takes a lot for one’s creativity to flow freely. Some need a specific routine or method to trigger creativity, while others need some sort of a break, an intervention, or inspiration. Whatever triggers and feeds your inventive prowess, find it and go for it. Falling into a creative rut may be inevitable but staying in it is optional, so don’t let your creativity wither away.