8 Creative Thinking Exercises to Boost Your Creativity

Tanvir H Shawon

Mental creative blocks are very real. You’re stumped, staring at your canvas, not knowing where to begin. Believe it or not, there’s exercises that can help. Hello world, I’m Tanvir with amandalandish,

Which of the following is not a creative thinking exercise entrepreneurs use to generate ideas

Which of the following is not a creative thinking exercise entrepreneurs use to generate ideas?

  • Schedule Creative Free Time
  • Schedule Creative Free Time
  • Think Quantity Over Quality
  • Become an “Idea Machine”
  • Switch Up Your Routine
  • Look at Something Familiar Through a New Lens
  • Read More
  • Freewrite More

8 Creative Thinking Exercises to Boost Your Creativity

The platform that will change the way you prepare for the biggest professional challenges and projects. One thing that I’ve struggled with in the past is defeating a creative block, aka the inability to come up with original ideas, the gears in my mind just stop turning and fresh thoughts or ideas completely elude me.

These occurrences can last a day, a week, or even months to a year. When you’re stuck and struggling to be creative, though, you can’t just hope you’ll come out of it. Believe it or not, there’s creative thinking exercises that you can do to boost your creativity. In this video, I’ll share eight of those exercises to help you start coming up with brilliant, original ideas Shall we?

One of the most difficult times to be creative is when you’re given a deadline to come up with a brilliant idea. It’s extremely difficult to focus on brainstorming when your mind is worried about how little time it has. For example, rather than sitting around waiting and then being dealt a deadline of devise a new ad campaign by the end of the day, set aside a time in your daily or weekly schedule to do some creative thinking.

There’s no expectations, no pressure, just you and your thoughts. Think of creativity as a plant. It’s not going to grow in a closed box of restrictions and deadlines. It needs space, time, and regular treatment in order to flourish. Check out this Daily Planner infographic on Vimeo.com if you need help visualizing your schedule, maybe there’s a free half hour in your day that you can devote to creative thinking.

Now, considering everything I just said, some people are just the opposite. Some work better under pressure and their creative gears turn faster when there is a deadline. An example would be giving yourself ten minutes to come up with as many captions for an Instagram post as possible, or an hour to conceptualize designs for a marketing project While deadlines can restrict some of us, they can also push us to work harder. In effect, pushing through that mental block. Find out what works best for you. When it comes to creativity, quantity over quality can take you very far. What do I mean Well, instead of searching for that one perfect caption in your mind, start churning out 30 different captions and write them down.

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Do the same for ad campaign headlines or article topics, or whatever your project may require. By writing one idea down, a second idea will surface, and then a third and a fourth. Creativity is a domino effect. Once you get the ball rolling, there is no stopping you. So don’t focus on nailing down that one perfect idea on the first try. Don’t be afraid to brain vomit, for lack of a better word, and let your ideas spill onto paper. To be creative, you might have to step outside of your comfort zone.

Think about it like this to become smarter or expand your vocabulary, you should read more books. Don’t like reading? Well tough luck. It’s a surefire way to help you. Don’t limit yourself on how you’re going to help your creative outlook. Sometimes you need to step outside your comfort zone in order to grow one idea that’s proven to work turning yourself into an idea machine. The concept was pioneered by author James Audigier, and it’s quite simple. Every single day you need to come up with at least ten original ideas. One day it might be ten punny Halloween costumes, the next day it could be ten ideas for the next great superhero. While those are more abstract, you can also go professional and think of ten new inventions or ten new businesses that no one’s thought of yet.

The goal is to simply write down ten new ideas each and every day by doing so, your creativity is given a chance to expand in ways that you hadn’t realized before. You’re thinking outside of the box and making new connections. And besides, it can be fun. Challenge your coworkers or employees to do the same, and you’ll be blown away as to what you can think of. So you’re in need of some inspiration. What are the chances you’re doing the same thing you are now? The last time you needed inspiration, and the time before that, and the time before that. A change of scenery and switching up your routine can be the perfect flint for sparking some new ideas. Go for a walk. Drive a new way home, listen to different music, or tackle a new podcast.

Move things around at your desk. If you have a set schedule every day, move events around instead of lunch at noon. Push it back. Same project, but different day. Work on it at a different time. You’d be surprised by how the smallest things can make you feel like an entirely different person. Think of these as a breath of fresh air. They’re helpful ideas to help you get you back on your feet. Okay, here’s an exercise. Take a minute and look around you. Any ordinary objects laying around? Maybe a paper clip, tissue box or a mouse pad? Even set a timer for two minutes and come up with as many unorthodox uses for that object as you can.

A paper clip could pop a lock, a tissue box could store plastic bags. A mouse pad can be used to hold steamy hot pans. This is called the Alternative Uses test, and it was developed in the 1960s by a guy named J.P. Guilford. It forces your creative muscle to grow by looking at ordinary objects through a different lens, encouraging divergent thinking. Did you really think, after bringing it up earlier, I wasn’t going to encourage you to read more? It’s undeniable One of the greatest ways to learn. Here’s the thing, though. Pick up a book about a topic that is completely unrelated to your line of work. Don’t read a book that you could write. Read a book that’s going to help you grow and better your understanding of another topic. By exposing yourself to new ideas, you’re helping your brain pick up new ways of thinking.

Along the same lines as reading is writing, take ten minutes a day to sit down, grab a pen and write your thoughts down. Whatever comes to mind. Write it. It doesn’t have to be grammatically correct or when a literary award. The purpose is to just let your thoughts flow and free your mind of clutter. One of the most common ways to do this is with a diary. Keep a notebook and pencil by your bed and jot down your thoughts before getting some shut eye. It can be your little secret on your way to enhanced creative thinking. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s all I have. Training your mind is just as, if not more important than training your body.

It takes practice, repetition, and exercise. And even then you must challenge yourself in order to get ahead. Follow these tips I’ve shared today, and it won’t be long before you’re ahead of the game and wowing your audience with your great ideas. Thank you so much for reading!

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