Read This Post To Enhance Creativity And Then Go Outside
Have you ever sat down at your computer to write out a talk or email and next thing you know an hour has passed by and nothing is on your…
I have the habit of writing things down…good for me, right? Well, it’s good that I write a lot of things down; however, I tend to write them on anything from napkins to the pant leg of my jeans. Regardless of where you write your ideas down, you need to get them out of your head. When you do this:
© Photographer: Chrisharvey | Agency: Dreamstime.com
- Your More Likely To Remember Your Ideas: Something intangible becomes tangible. The idea is no longer a concept, but a reality.
- Your More Likely To Act Upon It: If it’s in front of you, it will serve as a reminder. What you see you cannot ignore, it can even haunt you. That’s why you need to be careful what you tweet.
- Small Ideas Will Grow: Sometimes it takes multiple looks before you get the whole picture. It might start with a word, and then grow into a story. When an idea is out of your head and into the open it is limitless.
But, don’t just write your idea, concept or initiative down on anything, that’s not the right approach. What I recommend is that everyone should go out and buy a whiteboard. No, Office Depot did not put me up to this, I’m just a firm advocate. With my whiteboard I:
- List Priorities: When the responsibilities build it becomes difficult to remember our priorities. Listing them out will not only keep them in front of you; but, allow you to analyze which one is really most important.
- Inspire: I don’t have the luxury of owning any posters with eagles soaring through the great outdoors with the word ACHIEVEMENT written in bold. So if I find something catchy I’ll tweet it and then put it in front of me until I can no longer take it.
- Write Out What I Can’t Say: Sometimes I have an idea that in my head looks great; however, the more I think about it, the more tangents emerge. Writing down your ideas will not only help them grow; however, it will help you organize them into action steps and plan to mull over.
- Create Fun: I’m the stick figure king (actually I’m not), when it comes to working through writer’s block or frustration I play games. It could be contests with coworkers or a simple game of tic, tack, toe.
Not having a whiteboard is a sin (
not really). But, if you aren’t a fan of the generic whiteboard, go retro with a chalk board or contemporary with clear glass. The whole point to writing down and keeping in front of you ideas, plans, and information, is so that they never die. It slows us down and allows us to put things in perspective. So here’s a link to Amazon for whiteboards
click here.
Are you classic (chalk board), contemporary (glass) or simple (dry eraser)?