It was 8:00 PM and I'd hit a creative wall ? hard. But there was so much work to be done! And I just had to get out of the office or else my article would never get finished. So I knew the only way to stimulate my mind was to practice a technique called 'displacement.?
You've no doubt heard of (and probably practiced) this creativity booster before: take a different route to work Cheap Replica Hockey Jerseys China , eat at a new restaurant or take an outside break ? anything to change your environment. In fact, if you Google the word ?creativity,? most of the articles will instruct you to practice some type of displacement technique. They'll urge you to 'stray off the beaten path? because changes in your surroundings will stimulate your senses and enhance your ability to generate new ideas.
But I think Michael Michalko said it best in his famous book on business creativity, Thinkertoys: ?Your mind is like vegetation. It flourishes in one soil and droops in another.?
I read that quotation right as I hit my wall last night. tation, I thought. That gives me an idea! So I took his advice ? literally ? and went to the one place I'd be guaranteed to find lots of vegetation: the grocery store.
Trust me; this wasn't my first choice for a place to get some work done. But Starbucks was closed and all the local restaurants were too loud. However Cheap Replica Hockey Jerseys , I did remember noticing a line of computer tables in the produce section of the store a few weeks earlier.
It felt awfully strange walking into the grocery store at 8:30 PM with a briefcase in one hand and an Ipod in the other. Then again, I needed some mental stimulation, and I needed it fast. So, what better place to enliven all five of the senses than the produce section?
And it worked! Surrounding me were hundreds of fruits and vegetables of every color; crisp, cool air; and the aroma of fresh flowers and spices. It was everything my baffled brain needed. And within a few minutes Replica Hockey Jerseys Free Shipping , I was back on track with my article. New thoughts poured onto my laptop. Creative ideas came from out of the blue. I climbed over my mental wall!
Now, let's talk about why this unusual displacement technique worked. Was it something in the air? Was it a coincidence? No. Creativity doesn't know what the word ?coincidence? means. It has to do with our thinking process. It has to do with displacement. Now, maybe the grocery store isn't for you. But when your brain decides it doesn't want to get creative anymore ? and trust me, it will ? you'll need some techniques to help you break out of the same old mental rut. So, here are Four Ways to Motivate Your Melon.
Exercise Have you ever noticed how creative you get while exercising for extended periods of time?
That's not a coincidence Replica Hockey Jerseys For Sale , either ? it's biological. According to Molecules of Emotion by Candace B. Pert, continuous exercise like running, long-distance swimming, aerobics, cycling or cross-country skiing appears to contribute to an increased production and release of endorphins. These endorphins are morphine-like substances that have strong affects on the brain and body during exercise. They result in a sense of euphoria that has been popularly labeled as the "runner's high."
For example Replica Hockey Jerseys Sale , I run 8 miles every Sunday. It's my weekly 'mental emptying.? Interestingly enough, since I've been running for the past 6 or 7 years, I've written articles, speeches, even parts of books while jogging at the park! It's almost like taking a mind expanding drug every week to boost my creativity ? except it's legal Replica Hockey Jerseys From China , free and safe.
Think of it this way: how in the world did Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison come up with those incredible, timeless songs? They all took drugs. (Okay, they were also incredibly gifted musicians too, but you've got to admit: the drugs helped.) Now Replica Hockey Jerseys China , we all know what happened to those three guys at the ripe age of 27. So this doesn't mean anyone should partake in such illegal activities. But remember: exercise is like a legal, healthy drug; and if you use it at the right time, you can come up with some incredibly creative stuff.
MELON MOTIVATOR #1: Take an hour to go for a walk, ride a bike or hike a trail.
Work On The Floor Do you ever feel like your desk is caving in on you? That you have dozens of papers, reports Replica Hockey Jerseys , books and folders coming from all directions, reducing your actual workspace to the size of a Post-It Note?
If so, try the floor. It works wonders for enhancing your creativity, especially from a visual standpoint. First of all, you'll have plenty of room to spread out your materials. This will help you more effectively solve problems Cheap Replica Hockey Jerseys Free Shipping , come up with new ideas and brainstorm because you'll see all of the elements involved.
And once you sit down on the floor, you'll start thinking about how silly you look, whether or not your pants are getting wrinkled and what you're going to say to your boss when he walks in the room. Good. That's the perfect way take your mind off your mental block.
Displacing your vertical position also reveals patterns you never would have noticed otherwise. For example, I'm sitting in the grocery store right now as I write this article. To my left are Navel Oranges for $5.99 a pound. And wouldn't you know it? Right below the oranges on the ground level are 16 oz. bottles of Little Rainbow Fruit Juice ? for those unsuspecting little grocery shoppers of the youthful persuasion. Interesting...
MELON MOTIVATOR #2: The floor is your friend.
Change Your Workspace Isn't it ironic that 'thinking outside the box? is such an unoriginal and overused clich? that it's actually become an ?inside the box? type of phrase?
That being said; forget about getting ?outside the box,? and get the heck out of the office! Wherever you live Cheap Replica Hockey Jerseys For Sale , there are bound to be dozens of workspaces you n