People get good ideas wherever it is possible. But it happens the least at the working desk. Inspiration is hindered the most by organization!
We all know what that looks like. You get a new task at work, but you can't finish it. Your brain cells are fired up, you're smashing one coffee after another but there's just no inspiration. So don't lose heart, but put your work aside and go for a walk. (For example, to the coffee machine; we realize that only few people can afford to just quit their job whenever they want).
Inspiration is like the t-shirt you've been looking for two days in a row, and only when you stop focusing on it will it miraculously appear on the shelf you've searched a hundred times. In short, some people have brilliant ideas in the shower, while others keep dream journals because the most brilliant thoughts come to them in their sleep. One of them was born in the mind of R. L. Stevenson - he called them Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide, you might have heard of her. But what to do if deadlines are pressing in on you from all sides?
Some have brilliant ideas in the shower, while others keep dream journals.
Don't wait, take action!
Do you remember Bradley Cooper from the movie “Limitless”? Before he got the miracle pill and became Mr. Almighty? He turned from a depressed, burned-out writer into a charming intellectual who managed to put his life together in a moment and in the meantime stopped by the house just to write a bestseller in one evening. Unfortunately, in our world there is no pill that will make you a superhero. Even so, there are ways to find inspiration.
Although it is not easy to keep a journal of ideas, you can, like Bill Gates, organize a so-called "Inspirational Moment" instead. Go for breakfast at a coffee shop you've never been to before, hit the gym, read articles in a subject area you've never explored. Do new things, even the ones that scare you. Because if you feel energetic and capable of anything after something, it's definitely this bungee jumping experience.
However, if adrenaline sports are not for you, feel free to go on a trip, have a beer, meet new people. Change the style of dressing, hairstyle, residence, identity... No, I'm kidding. You don't have to go that far. But definitely don't be afraid to indulge in free time and well-deserved relaxation, the brain needs it sometimes.
Brainstorming? Yes, but…
But what to do if you have a creative blockage and in five minutes you have to be in the traditional weekly corporate brainstorming session? Believe it or not, even with a creative blockage at your heels, you can squeeze a lot out of a brainstorm.
Brainstorming is great in that, in almost laboratory conditions, you can get a brilliant idea based on just one word coming out from the mouth of one of your colleagues. Or vice versa. And even if the creative blockage does not leave you until the very end, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Epiphanies don't happen every day, and not every Brainstorming session looks like an American romantic comedy with Adam Sandler. So don't get mad, next time you might be the one to come up with a new concept, while the others sit around the table and achieve nothing.
The worst thing you can do is postpone the stress and fear of failure for another week. In addition to us mere mortals, the greats also suffer from creative blockages - like one of Hollywood's best screenwriters Aaron Sorkin, literary wizard J.K. Rowling or even a seemingly limitless source of original ideas like Quentin Tarantin.
Thoughts organization?
But inspiration is not only needed during the assigned work task. Sometimes it is needed for important life or career decisions. Imagine the following situation. You need to make an important decision about your career because your current job no longer fulfills you. Ask yourself why this is the case, you will find that you may not need to change companies, just a change of department, maybe a higher salary or a new office would help...
And so many possibilities will put you in a corner where you desperately rock from side to side in the fetal position, unable to come up with a solution. In such a situation, organization is the best thing you can reach for. Write all the options on paper and choose the three most important for you. Arrange them according to difficulty and gradually review them in detail. You will find that when you get your thoughts out of your head onto paper and give them importance, you will gain the courage and desire to act and take immediate action. And if you still want a career change, the easiest way to cross this item off your bucket list is via Valoris.org
There are countless tips on how to get inspired, from inhaling the aroma of lavender through a walk in the park to taking an airplane piloting course. Which means that this article is also on the list of possibilities. We bet you came up with something absolutely awesome while reading.
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