“You have disrupted my creative process.”
– Kanye West
Creativity isn’t just for musicians, or artists, or photographers in New York City. It’s an asset in all industries, sectors, and disciplines. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines creativity as, “the ability to make new things or create new ideas.” Learn more about creativity in a professional environment with this Learn Now Guide.
Here’s your task:
Check out this Huffington Post article – 100 ways to be more creative at work. Here are your tasks:
- Identify 4-5 strategies from the list that you’ll use to be more creative throughout the month of February in your placement. Comment this post by COB Tuesday, February 9, with the ones you chose.
- Comment again throughout the month, reflecting on the strategies you used. What went well? What could have been better? What will you try again? How can you use this strategy in the future? Post at least one reflection by Tuesday, March 1.
- Right before spring break begins, respond to at least two other PAFs’ reflections – offer advice, ask questions, or talk about how your experiences compare. Post your responses by Tuesday, March 8.
This process will take the place of a weekly meeting competency training. Each post should only take about 10 minutes of your time (30 minutes total).
Looking forward to reading about your experiences!
– Ashlynn
PAFlection 
1.Look for three alternatives to every solution you originate
2. Think of new ways to reframe your challenge
3. Read odd books — having nothing to do with your work
4. Write your ideas in a notebook and review them regularly
5. Know that anything is possible
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Over the past few weeks, I consciously brainstormed multiple solutions to each problem that has surfaced, and also solicited solutions from others. This has encouraged me to consider multiple courses of action and examine creative ways to approach a challenge.
I need to continue to work on reading for leisure and writing in my notebook. I have a small notebook for random thoughts, moments, and quotes that I encounter throughout the day. I often forget to throw it in my bag– so that would be a good start!
Knowing anything is possible has been about practicing keeping an open mind about the future and all the possibilities it holds. I sometimes restrict myself to only a few potential courses of action because of what I perceive as obstacles or limitations. However, in reality, I think that there are far fewer obstacles that actually exist, and that these obstacles are in fact surmountable. Maintaining a balance between optimism and pragmatism is something I hope to work on now and in the future.
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Hi Khadija, I really connect with you regarding restricting yourself to a few “tried-and-true” options. As someone who prefers to be in my comfort zone than to venture out into the “unknown” it can be a daunting task to do something that is not routine. One thing that I will integrate into my own life is the balance between optimism and pragmatism!
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Yes! I agree with you on “limiting options based on perceived obstacles”. I find myself in this situation over and over, especially when considering job postings or picking classes. Like Marcus said, being outside of your comfort zone can be hard! I will join you two in searching for the balance between optimism and pragmatism.
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Now that I think about it, even the way I selected what I would try from this list was with the active thinking of “What can I actually do”, not “What would I want to do” mentality.
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Hi Khadija, your last entry about knowing anything is possible really resonates with me as I am currently dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Although I didn’t select this particular tool for the blog, I see now how helpful this mental framework can be. I also think it is useful in maintaining a level of hope and courage to not “settle” out of fear. I will be keeping the mantra, “Anything is possible” in my mind the next couple of months and believe it will help!
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1. Transform your limiting assumptions into “How can I?” questions.
2. Open a magazine and free associate off of a word or image.
3. Schedule time with the smartest people at work.
4. Work from a coffee shop.
5. Be sillier than usual.
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Things that went really well:
Working from a coffee shop. I always do homework in coffee shops, but I’ve never done “work work.” I realized how often I’m interrupted at work – by coworkers, emails, etc. – and getting away from it has increased my productivity and creativity (mornings only). The vibe of a coffee shop is really conducive to social media planning – so I highly recommend it. Seeing the various people come in reminded me to frame messages to particular audiences at GW – athletes, future politicians, journalists, etc.
Scheduling time with the smartest people at work. Just chatting with them went from the weather to finally deciding on an idea for our end of the year messaging! We have so many meetings that just spending time chatting seemed super unnecessary (and annoying) at first, but with the right people it can actually be beneficial. I think this will be a useful tool when I’m stuck on something.
Being silly was easier than I thought and forced me to stop taking everything so seriously – highly recommend it (at the right times of course). It just improved my mood throughout the day.
Could have been better?
Transforming limiting assumptions into “How can I?” was easy when I was working on something new (and quite helpful), but harder for more established, routine parts of my job. I think it’s easy to get jaded by all the constraints on routine (weekly newsletter) tasks, so in the future, I’d like to figure out how I can still use my creativity on routine tasks.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to use a magazine, but I definitely want to try it out!
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It is interesting to read how you enjoy working in cafes. I’ve always tried to do it, it seems like it would add a bit of excitement to the dullness that can come with studying/ getting work done. My biggest challenge is always getting distracted not inspired by people. I find that at first I’m very productive then I’m thinking “Oh I should get more food”, ” Oh look at that girl’s outfit”, “Oh maybe I need to online shop and try to find her shirt”…so now I limit my usage of cafes for doing work with others or homework assignments (excluding writing pieces). How do you stay focused in that environment? Or better do you have any tips on how to use the people watching as inspiration for productivity?
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Angela,
What you said about online shopping, and definitely getting more food, is too real. Tips:
1. You have to pick the right coffee shop. Starbucks (Gelman and E St.) and Bourbon aren’t the best places to do work. But the Starbucks on K Street, Baked and Wired (9-5), and either Illy or Filter (whichever is bigger – I can’t remember) have less people, and it’s nice going there because you get to take a little walk and clear your head.
2. You have to pick the right seat. For me it’s sending facing a window, or in a corner, where I’m less focused on the people and more focused on the what’s in front of me.
3. When I’m in coffee shops, I operate on a 40/20 rule – 40 minutes working, 20 minutes doing whatever I want – typically it’s 50/10.
4. I either do work that doesn’t really need to get done right then, or really needs to get done. That way if I’m not focused, it’s okay, or I’m really focused, so the distractions don’t bother me. I suggest doing something in a coffee shop where you need to be creative – something that’s kind of a blank slate. When you get stuck, use the people around you for inspiration!
Also – working from a coffee shop get you the cutest Instagram photo with your laptop, and the coffee, books, a cute manicure/bracelets, etc. (for our inner girly girl haha)
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Brainstorm with a co-worker.
Block off time on your calendar for creative thinking.
Immerse yourself in your most exciting project.
Have more fun. Be sillier than usual.
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Exercise during my lunch break.
Work in cafes.
Go out for lunch with your team more often.
Do more of what already helps you be creative off the job.
Write down your ideas when you first wake up in the morning.
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Let me know how I can support your efforts to be more creative!
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1.Go for a daily brainstorming walk.
2. Initiate cross-functional brainstorming sessions.
3. Trust your instincts more.
4. Incubate (sleep on it). [I should probably sleep more anyway…]
5. Eat lunch with a different person each day.
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I have really worked to initiate brainstorming sessions. Now that I have an intern to manage, it’s been great to get her involved and really listen to the new perspective that she brings to the table. I’ve also led multiple meetings with people from our onsite museum team with others who work at the Collections Center in Virginia. Since we’re all working together on a new project, it has been useful to use these sessions to explore everyone’s ideas and learn of individual talents that many of us were unaware of.
I’ve also made more of an effort to actually socialize during lunch at the GW Museum. I usually use the time to continue to work or catch up on reading, but it’s been a useful way to learn about what other people are working on and how I can support them through social media.
Overall, I enjoyed applying these two elements of creativity. I think it’s hard to break away from my routine, since it’s efficient, and try something new – but these have opened new means of communication and I’m excited to see some projects come to fruition.
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Transform your limiting assumptions into “How can I?” questions.
Decorate your office with inspiring quotes and images.
Declare Friday afternoons a “no-email zone.”
Go for a walk anytime you’re stuck.
Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
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I found the “Ask for forgiveness, not permission” to be the most helpful tip. It helped me produce deliverables at a faster pace that were also more creative.
Decorating my office made me feel more comfortable and inspired in my cubicle. I also found that, if my mind started wondering, one of the quotes or images would catch my eye and I was able to more easily refocus on the task at hand.
Declaring Friday afternoon a “no email zone” was great and helped with my long-term focus. For instance, I have been dedicating my past few Friday afternoons to homework and I think giving myself a “free pass” to ignore my email for a couple of hours helped me delve deeper into my papers.
I want to give “transforming your limiting assumptions into ‘How can I?’ questions” another shot. There weren’t many problem-solving issues that arose this month so I didn’t have a chance to adequately try it out.
Now that the weather has improved, I plan to go for more walks. I tried this a couple of times and found it really helped, especially in the later part of the afternoon.
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Katie,
I’d love to declare a no email zone and I’m glad it worked out for you! How did you hold yourself to it? I feel like I always say I’m not going to look at email, and then I get an email notification and end up checking it.
And for transforming your limiting assumptions, I tried to look at all the things that are routine for me – what do I do every day/week/month that I never take risks on? If I were to take a risk that would actually make this final product better, what would that be? That way, instead of solving problems, you’re just taking what you’re already doing to the next level! Robert and I were talking about how oranges get bored really easily, and if you ever get bored with work, try to find ways to make mundane things more creative – I really enjoy it.
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Chelsea
Oooh, this is fun! Let’s let the creativity commence! My 4 ways to improve creativity during the workday:
1. Give yourself an unreasonable deadline
2. Read odd books — having nothing to do with your work
3. Acknowledge all of your successes at the end of each day
4. Look for three solutions to every idea that you originate
Excited to read everyone’s reflections throughout the next 1.5 months!
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(Chelsea)
What went well?
The reading odd books (and magazines in my case, or long form articles that might as well be books) was a lot of fun! Not sure if it assisted on my creativity at work, but I did randomly quote one of the articles while having a discussion at work…so I guess that is a success!
I tried giving myself an unreasonable timeline at one point, and then released that the actual timelines that were associated with my tasks were already fairly unreasonable so pushing those ahead anymore was insanity! Either way, I did buckle down and get them done (well, all but one…)!
What could have gone better?
One of my bosses is always pushing me to write down everything that I did at the end of each day so that I can keep a log of all my work for future reference. And that was the idea that I was going with when I chose #3: Acknowledge all of your successes at the end of each day. Alas, I totally did not do this consistently. I did it…maybe…twice? And it was a great activity that actually made me feel physically better. But it is truly amazing how adding something that takes a little extra time during my day just won’t seem to happen.
Looking for three solutions to every idea that you originate is actually really, really hard to consciously do with any consistency!
Final Thoughts
I feel I would have done better with all of these things had I written them down on a post-it or a big piece of paper and posted them in my cubicle. Maybe that is the next step!
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Chelsea,
I find that reading random articles (and listening to random podcasts as you know I do) work wonder for making interesting conversation. I agree, it’ hard to know if this makes me more creative, but it is certainly a great way to keep our minds active and engaged beyond just work and school. I think in a roundabout way, thinking about interesting ideas ad perspectives we read and hear about make us more able to think creatively when we need to!
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1. Block off time on my calendar for creative thinking/mediation
2. Pilot an idea, even if it is not ready
3. Have more fun; be sillier than usual; laugh more
4. Do what ever is necessary to create a sense of urgency
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I tried blocking off time on my calendar this past week to be creative. The first couple of days it worked out, and I had some creative thoughts that I wrote down. Then the other days, I feel like the time I blocked out of the day was not my most creative time. So to compensate, I made sure to pause when I had creative thought throughout the day, explore the thoughts, and write them down.
To create a sense of urgency this week, I set multiple deadlines on my calendar and blocked off time to get things done to meet the deadlines. And generally speaking I got most accomplished most of the goal deadlines for the week.
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I did not really find time to pilot an idea, even if it was not ready. SO…Going forward, I am plan to implement that strategy as soon as possible and try it out!
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Hi Max! I love this idea! It can be kind of scary to consider, but definitely worth a try! Thanks for posting!
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14. Remember your dreams.
15. Reward yourself for small successes.
39. Trust your instincts more.
47. Pilot your idea, even if it’s not ready.
74. Laugh more, worry less.
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While all of these played some role throughout the reflection period, I really think that #47 “Pilot your idea, even if it’s not ready” went very well. For my placement, I have more liberties than others in crafting projects and my overall experience. One of the things that I have been working on is developing the curriculum for our Health Education Leadership Program, an initiative that recruits kids from Title I schools into health professions. One of my ideas was to create an intensive training during the DCPS Spring Break. While I did not know where to begin or who to contact, I spoke with my team about the possibility. As it turns out, they were very receptive to the idea and encouraged me to pursue it with parameters established. The past few weeks I have been fleshing out my idea and bouncing ideas off of my co-workers to see what they think would work best. Ultimately, during the break, our goal is for students to delve deeper into the health professions arena through different seminars, simulations, and interactions with current health professionals. I really am appreciative for this activity, because I would have never known what would’ve come out this idea if I never spoke up.
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This is awesome, Marcus! Keep sharing your ideas, even if they’re not fully formed. I like to call them “baby thoughts.” They may not be perfect, but they can grow to become matured and amazing ideas, events, films, etc.
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Agree with Zinhle – sounds like a fantastic program! I like to keep a running list of ideas on my phone, so that I can edit them on the go and access them easily from any computer.
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Today I tried, block off time on your calendar for creative thinking, and did so from 8-9am today! I was reminded that my best creative time is in the morning. Something about being fresher I guess vs the end of a long day. From this I would say we all should figure out our best creative time of day and in future try (it won’t always work) to schedule any important problem solving or brainstorming meetings accordingly. I also noticed that a blank page was almost distracting… so for me at least, a framework for creativity is important. By that I mean a structured way to use the time block off. I realize that may sound counter intuitive but it works best for me. Happy to clarify if this doesn’t make sense. CHEERS
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This is exactly why I work out in the morning. It’s time to think and process ideas for the day. I highly recommend it – if you’re willing to get up an hour early, it pays off.
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Like Kelsey, I also workout in the morning to clear my head. I also do it to build a momentum of achievement for the day. Kind of like eating the frog first.
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Sara — I definitely hope to further identify what my creative time frames are. Much of my creativity blossoms late at night; but, recently this has been varied. I am also interested to learn more about what you mean by finding a framework for your creativity — most times I find a blank page exciting, so I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
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As Zinhle said, I too am trying to figure out when my creative time frames are. I am generally up early and moving around, but I don’t know if this is a time when I am creative! And in the evenings I am tired and ready to go to bed! I wonder if I can force creative time frames on myself and see how that goes!
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Thanks for setting this up Ashlynn!
1) Ask yourself what the simplest solution is.
2) Keep an idea notebook at your desk.
3) Arrive earlier to the office than anyone else.
4) Redesign your office.
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Hi Alec! I am really curious about how you envision redesigning your office! Perhaps you can provide some tips when you’re all done? Really cool idea. Also, considering the simplest solution is definitely something I should practice more! Thanks for posting!
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To be more creating in my placement I will
1.Create a wall of images that inspires you.
2.Conjure up a meaningful goal that inspires you.
3. Play music in your office.
4.Think of new ways to reframe your challenge.
5. Arrive earlier to the office than anyone else.
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Hi Angela! I really like the idea of posting a wall of images that inspires us! Definitely something I try to do and I think I could do more of in my office. Thank you for posting!
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I love the idea of a wall of inspiring images. I bet your coworkers check it out when you’re not there. Hopefully you can inspire others in the process!
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Here are the five ways for me to be more creative in my placement:
1. Brainstorm with my preceptor;
2. Write down my ideas everyday (as well as keep an idea notebook at my desk and read it often);
3. Ask myself what the simplest solution is;
4. Take a break when I am stuck on a problem (and do some sports/walk);
5. Ask for help when I need it.
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Yuxuan, it looks like we overlap in the areas of the idea notebook and the search for the simplest solution! I would be interested to follow up with you on your progress with the ideas notebook. I noted that I liked the activity but haven’t yet implemented my more “creative” thoughts.
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31. Block off time on your calendar for creative thinking.
2. Brainstorm with a co-worker.
59. Give yourself a deadline — and stick to it.
82. Meditate or do relaxation exercises.
91. Find a mentor.
Yay creativity!
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What went well? Brainstorming with a co-worker/co-workers went well! I love the process of brainstorming and having a variety of ideas bounce around. In March, I’m launching the #WhenWomenLead campaign and that was a result of a lot of productive brainstorming and synthesizing of ideas to launch the campaign.
What could have been better? Sadly, blocking off time for creative thinking is what 100% could have gone better. One of the best pieces of advice I received before staring my last semester of senior year — when I was also beginning my film — was to give myself time to be creative. That time paid off. Lately though, it’s been difficult to carve out space where I can let my creative juices flow and I’ve noticed the impact it has had. I’m hoping March will bring more opportunities for creative spaces and thinking.
What will you try again? I will try everything again — particularly making more time for mediation and relaxation exercises, which I’ve found assist with focus and managing stress.
Thanks for this activity, Ashlynn! Keep the creative vibes flowing.
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Zinhle, I’ve found that blocking off time for things that make me happy (being creative can be one of them), makes dealing with other tasks much easier. Khadija has definitely taught me the benefit of “treat yo self” days, where I make sure to do something I enjoy. I haven’t been doing that as much lately – I’ve given my “treat yo self” time to job searching – and that’s probably why I’ve felt frustrated more often than not, so I totally understand where you’re coming from!
Also, I’ve really wanted to get better at trying out meditation. I’ve heard the Calm app is great for getting started!
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Zinhle, blocking off time to be creative is a struggle of mine too–especially since we as PAF’s are pulled in so many different directions. This is something that I’d like to improve as well. Accountability partner?
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Hi Zinhle,
Glad that brainstorming worked well for you!
In terms of finding time and space for creative thinking, one thing worked for me (although I have not done it for the past month due to my crazy schedule) was to watch one TED talk per day and just think about it afterwards. It could be done during dinner time or before sleep and if you have more time you can write down some thoughts in a notebook 🙂 I personally liked this very much because I always had great reflection afterwards.
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To be more creative in my work I will:
7. Play music in your office.
36. Choose to be more creative.
53. Benchmark your competitors — then adapt their successes.
71. Ask three people how they would improve your idea.
81. Go for a walk anytime you’re stuck.
I look forward to trying out these and other strategies, and am most excited about #s 36 and 81.
Thanks, Ashlynn, for leading us in this important effort.
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What went well?
I have been deliberately “slowing down” on my most important/complex projects to allow more time to think about next steps and to infuse creativity into them. I have also been asking more people for input on improving my ideas/work.
What could have been better?
I would like to find time to take more walks when I’m “stuck” and maybe to include others in those walks to help me get “unstuck.”
What will you try again?
All of the above, and especially asking others how they would improve my idea.
How can you use this strategy in the future?
I will continue to choose to be more creative, and hope/expect the rest will flow from there.
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Robert,
I really like the idea of asking others on how they might improve our ideas. I am going to work on doing this more as well! In reflecting on my conversation with Angela and Max yesterday regarding the First Destination Dashboard, I can already see the benefits.
Thank you for posting!
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Robert, I think the choosing to be creative is probably one of the hardest things and I would love to hear more about how that went for you. What types of thoughts did you have that led you to say, “I will be creative now,” for instance? It is definitely something that I struggle with so the insight would be great!
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20. Jot down as many ideas as possible in the next five minutes.
35. Create a headline of the future and write the story behind it./23. Conjure up a meaningful goal that inspires you.
37. Recall a time in your life when you were very creative.
42. Write down your ideas when you first wake up in the morning.
81. Go for a walk anytime you’re stuck.
Looking forward to practicing this competency! Thank you for the tangible tips, Ashlynn!
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20. Jot down as many ideas as possible in the next five minutes
23. Conjure up a meaningful goal that inspires you./35. Create a headline of the future and write the story behind it.
37. Recall a time in your life when you were very creative.
42. Write down your ideas when you first wake up in the morning.
81. Go for a walk anytime you’re stuck.
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Kelly,
I especially like the idea of jotting down as many ideas as possible in the next five minutes. Maybe we can consider including this approach in our work together, whether during our 1:1s, team meetings, or committee meetings?
Also, note I included #81 on my list, too, so maybe we can walk together?
Robert
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Hi Robert!
I really appreciated you bringing up the idea of jotting down as many things as possible in five minutes in our team meeting yesterday. Hopefully we can give it a try in the future! As for walks, yes please! Especially as the weather gets nicer, I would genuinely enjoy that. Thank you for commenting!
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What went well?:
I adapted number 42 to writing down my ideas right before I go to bed or lay down for a nap. I’m not awake enough to do so in the morning, plus, it helps me sleep better and dream bigger! Last night was a highlight of mine as I took some time reflecting on an idea I have had for awhile and jotting down ideas as they came to me. It was also really helpful for me to recall a time in my life when I was very creative. I often forget that I am capable of being creative and reflecting on past experiences was a great encouragement to me!
What could have gone better?:
I would like to type up this list and post it at my desk – both at home and work! I am hopeful these ideas can become sort of a toolbox for when I get stuck. Particularly, I need to practice taking just five minutes to jot ideas down and I think creating a headline for the future could be a really practical thought exercise.
Final thoughts:
This was a wonderful exercise! I truly appreciated the opportunity to think about engaging my creativity on a more regular basis. I think my creativity can get lost in the day-to-day activities, but I need to remember it can be an asset to problem solving and add some excitement to my day. Thank you, Ashlynn!
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So for me the thing went really well was to write down my ideas everyday in an idea notebook on my desk so I could read it often. Since I always have things going on in my mind and sometimes even too much ideas at the same time, I will get fraustrated with my ideas from time to time. However, after I got myself a notebook to write down my ideas, I feel much more calm as I know that my ideas have been written down in a place that I can always visit and pull from.
The thing I could be better at is “taking a break when I am stuck on a problem and doing some sports or walk”. With some many things going on at the moment, I just felt guity to take a break and once I took a break, it was so hard to go back to work. But I think this is just a part of a bigger improvement I have to make: I still need to learn how to balance my life better.
Things I should continue are “asking myself what the simplest solution is” as well as “asking for help when I need it”. I think both really taught me to “let go” some things when I may be pushing myself into a high pressure situation.
I think all the strategies are great but I also think to really make them work, I need to have persistence.
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Hi Yuxuan!
A lot of what you shared really resonates with me. Asking for help and getting back on task can both be really challenging for me. I have found that it helps me if I write down what my next step will be when I return from my break and post it on my computer/desk before I leave for my break.
I love your desire to stick with many of these – I need to do that too! Thank you for posting and for your thoughtful reply!
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Kelly,
Thanks for the reply! Maybe we should work on these challenging things together!
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What went well?
Since I read this article I have tried to incorporate a few of the suggestions into my work routine. For example, I have made more of an effort to actively focus on how I can reframe some of the challenges my office. However, if we strictly look at this based on what I said I would do and what have I actually accomplished, I think I’ve been most successful at decorating my cube.
If you come and look at my cube it still probably looks impersonal (I only put up our first year cohort picture printed on “raise high” picture paper, a quote from my sorority’s symphony on a pretty Lilly Pulitzer print paper “To be womanly always, discouraged never”, and a fortune cookie fortune “There is a prospect for great things ahead”); to me however this is still a pretty big step!
First, getting this cube has been a challenge because space is very limited for OVPR, knowing that this space is a luxury I never wanted to go overboard with claiming it as my own. Putting up those decorations was a way for me to signal to myself, and to the office, that this is my cube, I am here, and I’ll be here for a while! With that acceptance I feel that my placement has a different tone. It no longer feels as a place where I do 20 hours, but my work place for the next two years. I definitely feel more invested in the work and the relationships with my coworkers. At the same time I do think I have a bit more confidence as I interact with others. I have had a hard time finding that balance between being assertive and respectful that others have more experience in the office or are in a more senior position compared to me, the temporary fellow. By decorating my cube, I feel that I have as much of a stake in that office as anyone else, so I can voice my opinions confidently because I belong.
Second, all of those items are a pretty good representation of who I am. I am a PAF, I try hard to be womanly always and I aspire to be discouraged never, and I love a good fortune! I work in an office that is dark and with people that have quieter personalities. I have to admit that sometimes I can feel out of place, these pictures make the office a bit more inviting to me.
I’m glad I took that step of pinning a few things to my actual board not just Pinterest, I’m not sure if I’ll add more decorations though. (In case you are wondering I’m debating putting up a picture of my cute cat Regan, maybe a family photo? Might be too personal though-Probably won’t do it)
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Angela,
Thanks for sharing! I really agree with you about decorating cubes as a way to show people your committment to the office especially we only work 20 hours per week as PAFs. Personally, I have not done that and now I really hope I did so that I could be more close to people in my office.
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The idea notebook has been a great add to my daily routine. It of course, is only the first step, as getting things off of the idea notebook and into the next phase of follow through is perhaps the bigger obstacle. However, I have found that putting ideas onto paper helps me have a better handle on the bigger picture.
I have found that is often more challenging than expected to take a step back from certain activities to ask myself what the simplest solution is. I therefore am continuing to work on this goal! I will say that when I was working the conference line for a large meeting this past week, we ran into an issue where those calling in were really loud yet couldn’t hear people in the room. They started to talk between themselves, as they were unaware that we could hear them so instead of fixing the volume situation, I simply muted them. I then figured out how to solve the underlying problem later. A very small example of me trying to implement this strategy of simplification, but hopefully a bit amusing.
It is almost impossible to be the earliest person to arrive at my office I have found (others get here at 7/7:30 and I am not waking up at 5:30 each morning). However, I have found that being here earlier than most others creates most of the desirable effects. I have come to cherish this time as it is valuable for productivity and the chance to work on tasks in my own way with fewer time constraints or distractions.
Finally, I have worked to redesign my office/desk area by cleaning/arranging the top of my desk. For some reason I just never made it my own after starting here. I have also begun to put reminders on sticky notes that I keep around my desk. I love this method, as I can review these notes from my past self with one scan each morning.
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Hi Alec,
I’m so happy to hear that you’re embracing the early mornings! As you know, I love early morning and I also find that it’s much easier to be productive early in the day. I also love the idea of rearranging desk space and think that work environment is so important! I have a lamp on my desk this year that I didn’t have last year and I swear it’s changed my life. Finally, I completely agree about the sticky note– when we are only in the office a few days a week, it can be easy to forget where we left off and sticky notes often save the day!
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Living (or working right Max) with a “creative” person helps, but we’re all creative in our own unique and different ways – don’t ever forget that.
I think some of my best ideas come from being inspired by others – which is why I find such value in the wealth of connections and ways to engage on social media and the the 24 hour news cycle is so continual in bombarding us with lyrics, images and messages that can inspire us to emulate others, grown and change by constant new thoughts and ideas.
And in the spirit – don’t forget the old adage “imitation is the most since form of flattery”, or even “history repeats itself”. There are so many unique and creative trends and ideas that have come from past, iconic experiences, images don’t miss out on putting a new spin on an old idea and seeing it reborn. What’s old is new again – and Spring is that season of rebirth.
In terms of academic resources — I’m channeling my inner Kathy – If you haven’t read ‘and oldie but a goodie’ 2004’s The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life or seen work by Sociologist Richard Florida he’s done some cool research on cities and the generation of people (you) who want to live there and grow the creative culture around us.
Here’s the Amazon Review:
The national bestseller that defines a new economic class and shows how it is key to the future of our cities. The Rise of the Creative Class gives us a provocative new way to think about why we live as we do today – and where we might be headed. Weaving storytelling with masses of new and updated research, Richard Florida traces the fundamental theme that runs through a host of seemingly unrelated changes in American society: the growing role of creativity in our economy. Just as William Whyte’s 1956 classic The Organization Man showed how the organizational ethos of that age permeated every aspect of life, Florida describes a society in which the creative ethos is increasingly dominant. Millions of us are beginning to work and live much as creative types like artists and scientists always have – with the result that our values and tastes, our personal relationships, our choices of where to live, and even our sense and use of time are changing. Leading the shift are the nearly 38 million Americans in many diverse fields who create for a living – the Creative Class. The Rise of the Creative Class chronicles the ongoing sea of change in people’s choices and attitudes, and shows not only what’s happening but also how it stems from a fundamental economic change. The Creative Class now comprises more than 30 percent of the entire workforce. Their choices have already had a huge economic impact. In the future they will determine how the workplace is organized, what companies will prosper or go bankrupt, and even which cities will thrive or wither.
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