21 Apr FIGHT STRESS AND BOLSTER YOUR CREATIVITY
DON’T LET YOUR CREATIVE STREAK SUFFER UNDER STRESS
It’s no secret that the stresses of our professional lives can often take serious tolls on our happiness and our productivity.
From burnout to physical tension, there are a ton of drawbacks to staying under immense amounts of stress throughout your work day.
The need for constant creativity in our work lives can also take a hit from stress, so much so that our creative impulses are almost completely stifled.
Do you find your creativity being constantly squashed by the amount of stress you feel?
What are the answers for relieving yourself of unnecessary stress and getting your creative energy back?
We’ve compiled a list of tips below.
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
If you’re like most professionals, you are interrupted and distracted by developing events numerous times throughout your work day. Whether it’s your email pinging its alerts, your cell phone receiving text messages or calls or your co-workers instant messaging you about a project, there are multiple outlets for distraction that can take hold during the typical workday.
When you have a project deadline on the horizon, few things are more stressful than losing valuable time or being set back. When you allow the rest of the world to fight for your attention throughout the day, you’re splitting your energy and creativity, taking on more than you should, and inviting stress.
To eliminate distractions, put your phone out of earshot, keep your email browser closed, and minimize the volume on inter-office chat windows. Set aside specific times to check these outlets so you aren’t constantly diverting your attention to other things when you’re trying to work.
DON’T GO HUNGRY
Many people simply don’t take the time to get breakfast or keep snacks at their desk. The result is that they often don’t get their first bite of food until lunchtime. That translates to around 4-5 hours of hunger before providing your body with the energy that it needs.
Not surprisingly, that kind of hunger can really take a bite out of focus and creativity. To abate this unnecessary creativity drain, it’s important to have snacks available to keep you going.
Whether it’s a bag of trail mix in your desk drawer or juice in the office fridge, something to keep your brain fueled until lunch is a must if you want to stay focused and creatively sound.
UTILIZE YOUR BREAKS
Another common misconception about creativity is that continuously hammering away at a task will provide you with a sudden creative breakthrough. In truth, most people don’t work like that. Our brains tend to grow more distracted the longer we stare at a screen or project, thus effectively diminishing our focus and creativity.
In order to stay more efficiently focused on your projects and get more out of your creative streak, take small breaks throughout your day. Whether it’s just stepping away from your computer to take a few deep breaths or retreating to the break room for a short cup of coffee, taking a break is a great way to recharge your mental machinery and get a jolt of creativity and focus.
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
This advice might sound like a broken record, but many professionals have a really hard time prioritizing their tasks, and as a result, they end up far more stressed out than necessary. When your job depends on being creative, letting tons of minor issues pile up on your plate can be a stress cocktail that zaps your energy and your creativity in one fell swoop.
The answer to this problem? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Make a layout of your crucial tasks, and be honest with yourself about which ones are likely to get done and which ones aren’t. When you’ve got the most important tasks laid out in front of you, you must let the small ones go. Don’t afford them more space in your brain than they deserve; leave that space for your creativity and focus.
Your creative energy is invaluable in doing an inspired job on all of your work projects. That’s why you can’t let stress creep in and wreak havoc on your efficiency, creativity and happiness in the work place.