Better's Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Learn how to fill that creativity tank.

You don’t need to be working a creative job to be creative. Creativity is a part of everyone’s life, whether you’re a globe-trotting rock star or simply someone who enjoys a spot of watercolor painting on a Sunday afternoon.

5 February, 2021 09:37 Share

The pressures and expectations of today’s workplace can stifle creativity.

To prove to your boss that you’re a viable creative asset, you need to be prolific, brilliant and healthy. Unfortunately, most of us are deficient in at least one of these areas, and because of that our work and reputation suffers.

5 February, 2021 09:39 Share

Furthermore, companies also tend to focus more on predictable outcomes and less on giving room for irregular waves of creativity, a tendency that takes a toll on innovative thinking. A friend of the author said that the creative types at his company refer to the decision-makers as "vampires" because they suck all the life from the room.

5 February, 2021 09:44 Share

Beware of the three "assassins" of creativity: dissonance, fear and expectation escalation.

The first assassin we must arm ourselves against is dissonance, which usually arises when a company’s purpose for action – "the why" of the company – is not aligned with the actions it takes – the company’s "what."

11 February, 2021 13:03 Share

The author once worked with a design firm whose creative leaders didn’t clearly express the expectations of the clients to the designers. Instead of a brief detailing the concepts underlying the client‘s requests, the designers were given vague cosmetic requests. This caused the work to suffer. When there’s no "why" behind a particular "what," the result is usually confusion and misunderstanding.

11 February, 2021 13:03 Share

A particular experiment demonstrates this well. People were first asked to imagine walking along a twenty-foot plank on the floor, and most of them were confident they could do it without falling off. They were then asked to imagine walking along the same plank, but this time with it suspended between two buildings 100 feet above ground – and most of them didn’t believe they could do it. In short, when the potential outcome of a particular action became frightening, people were less likely to think they could succeed. Similarly, many people are dissuaded from undertaking a creative venture because they fear what might happen.

11 February, 2021 13:06 Share

When you fixate on the outcome of a project, you may fail to see different possibilities. The higher your expectations, the more you become consumed with realizing them, letting everything else fall by the wayside.

11 February, 2021 13:06 Share

The key to creative insights is focus.

Now that we’re familiar with some potential creativity killers, we can move on to practices that’ll keep us engaged. The best way to do this is to stay FRESH – by attending to our focus, relationships, energy, stimuli and hours. Let’s begin with focus.

11 February, 2021 13:07 Share

According to neuroscientist Jeff Hawkins, unhealthy assumptions arise because our brains are constantly predicting what will happen based on our previous experiences. Though these assumptions are usually helpful, they can also be faulty.

11 February, 2021 13:08 Share

To define your work, the author suggests assigning four to six "challenges" to any task. The challenges can be anything, such as, "How can we make our brand stand out from the crowd?" or "How can we lower costs?" When you address these questions specifically, it’s easier to see where you should be directing your focus.

11 February, 2021 13:08 Share

Creative work can be lonely, so inspire yourself by forging strong networks and relationships.

Inevitably, introversion and isolation limit one’s outlook and thus one’s creativity, but this can be counteracted by the next part of FRESH: relationships. Author Steven Johnson says that the best ideas of all time were sparked by people sharing and collaborating. The more minds that are present, the more creative avenues will open up. In the same vein, professor Louis Cozolino said that we need perspectives from other people to keep our creativity fresh.

11 February, 2021 13:09 Share

The next step is to construct one-on-one meetings with other creatives, preferably with those who work in the same area as you. The aim of these meetings is to promote a healthy dose of competition between you and your partner that will push you both to be bold and innovative. The author sums this up with a quote by TV personality Diane Sawyer: "Competition is easier to accept if you realize it is not an act of oppression or abrasion," but rather a challenge to help us grow.

11 February, 2021 13:10 Share

Finally, the core team requires a long-term student-and-master relationship. Seek the advice and counsel of two or three professionals whom you look up to – people outside your company and from different industries and positions. This will broaden your perspective and encourage learning.

11 February, 2021 13:11 Share

To build strong relationships, there are three main strategies: start a circle, head to heads and establishing a core team. First, you must regularly gather creatives of your choice in an informal circle.

11 February, 2021 13:14 Share

For your creative insights to gain momentum, you need to strategically manage your energy.

Author Tony Schwartz says that if we practice good time and resource management but neglect our energy levels, our productivity will suffer. He adds that we’re most productive when switching "between periods of high focus and intermittent rest."

11 February, 2021 13:15 Share

During the week, try to balance out energy-consuming tasks, such as long phone calls, with buffers, such as listening to five minutes of music. Buffers can also be handy during the transition from work to personal life. You could, for instance, stop by a bookstore on your way home.

11 February, 2021 13:15 Share

The final step in managing your energy is to "prune" away the less effective activities in your life. In vineyards, vine keepers are always pruning new growth to ensure that the older, fruit-bearing parts receive the necessary nutrients. This same cutting back process is applicable to energy management. Every month, identify the least effective and most energy draining activity in your life, and then eliminate it.

11 February, 2021 13:16 Share

When you’re able to effectively manage your energy, you can be sure that your time will be used to its full potential. Once you master that, you can move on and see how to curate what you consume: stimuli.

11 February, 2021 13:17 Share

To maintain your creativity, you need stimuli that are challenging, relevant and diverse.

To maintain a healthy creative output, you need to make sure you receive a healthy intake of challenging, relevant and diverse stimuli – which is what the S in FRESH stands for.

11 February, 2021 13:17 Share

You also need to ensure that the sources are relevant – not only to specific projects and goals, but to the overall, long-term skills you wish to develop. One good daily practice is to seek out resources that encourage personal growth – such as, say, classes that teach a specific skill – and professional growth, such as trade magazines

11 February, 2021 13:19 Share

To help you manage your challenging, relevant and diverse stimuli, there are three things you should do: cultivate, process and experience.

11 February, 2021 13:19 Share

Make a quarterly study plan and allocate 25 percent to areas where you lack information needed for your job; 25 percent to what will benefit you in a wider sense, like educational blind spots and deficiencies; and 50 percent to things you’re curious about, like history or gardening, focusing on your passions, not your obligations. Then take notes on your insights, review them and see if a pattern emerges. You can do what Founding Father John Adams did and fill in the margins of books with your notes, as if reading was a conversation and not a monologue.

11 February, 2021 13:20 Share

Great creative work is not defined by the number of hours but by the quality of those hours.

Look at your time like a portfolio, not a slot machine; aim for quality over quantity. Time management guides are usually only concerned with you getting through your work. This resolve bears resemblance to playing the slot machine, where you pull the lever over and over again in the hopes of a win that may never come. But that doesn’t work if you’re a creative.

11 February, 2021 13:21 Share

The first step is to establish your idea. Most people, when they hear the word "brainstorming," think of a group activity. However, this mental exercise also works just as well solo. Note that at this stage we are neither considering current designs nor concerned with execution; right now, it’s only about coming up with new ideas. To start off, try giving yourself one hour per week to conceptualize new ideas. Look back at your Big Three for inspiration, and define your problems as challenges, as we did earlier. Make sure you keep a record of everything that happens in each brainstorming session

11 February, 2021 13:21 Share

The second step is to practice unnecessary creating, which refers to creating for the sake of creating, and not out of obligation to anyone else. It will get your brain in motion and actually clear your head, allowing you to be more productive in other areas.

11 February, 2021 13:21 Share

The author recommended that Robert rediscover his old hobby of watercolor painting. In the following weeks, Robert regained his enthusiasm for work, all because he started doing something for himself. You may feel like you don’t have time for fun activities anymore, but take the author’s advice and try to incorporate them into your routine. You’ll be sure to see the benefits.

11 February, 2021 13:22 Share

Final summary

Whatever it is that you wish to achieve, make sure that you give it all you’ve got each and every day. If you don’t, you’ll regret it in the end. A friend of the author once said that cemeteries are the most valuable land on the planet, as they are filled with unquantifiable amounts of unrealized potential and ideas. If you employ the practices outlined in these blinks and strive to consistently maximize your potential, you can be sure to "die empty."

11 February, 2021 13:23 Share