How to be more creative in my business thinking
The power of creative workouts
Workout. Sounds like hard work already, doesn’t it? But fear not, there is no lying on the floor with your legs in the air, and definitely no treadmills involved. I am talking about creative workouts, and these kind of work outs are much more fun, involve a lot less lycra and have a seriously positive impact on your business.
What is a creative workout?
A creative workout is a short, snappy exercise to help shift your brain to a more creative, expansive and receptive mindset. The workout can be as quick as 60 seconds, or a few minutes- but no more. That’s all the time it takes to get your head into a more creative space. A workout can involve nothing more than your brain, or you might need a pen and paper (or marker and whiteboard, even better) but always involve a challenge of some sort to force your brain to think differently.
Why are creative workouts so important for business?
As business owners, we are often in our default mindset of ‘do stuff’. Get those emails answered, call that client, finish that order. Great for… well, doing stuff - but rubbish for being creative. And why is it important to be creative? Because ideas grow businesses.
Getting into a creative frame of mind will give you new perspectives, because after a creative workout, your brain will shift to a more expansive and options-based mindset. There will be less of a rush to a solution, and more of an explorer’s approach which helps to connect seemingly random thoughts together – and that is often where creative gold lies.
When should I use a creative workout?
Whenever you are about to do some business planning, or anything else that would benefit from ideas – blog writing, content creation, marketing, creating a presentation, writing a client proposal, the list is almost endless – start with a creative work out. The beauty is, some creative workouts are so quick, you will DEFINITELY have time for them!
Get it in your business muscle. You can start your day with a creative workout, before the gravitational pull of your inbox becomes too strong, and set your mind into creative mode every morning. And daily workouts will have an accumulative effect on your creativity, which is good news for your business.
So what next?
The next step is to try a few creative workouts, and I have just the thing to help (more of that in a minute). But I have a challenge for you. How about you pledge to do a creative workout every day for a month? Really get your creative muscle in shape and see how it impacts your business thinking. Wait, how am I going to get my hands on a month’s worth of creative workouts, I hear you cry? (I swear, I heard you say that). Easy. Pop on over to the Tool Shed, the membership area on our website (it is free to join) and download A month of Creative Workouts. I have collated 30 of my favourite creative workouts into a handy guide just for you. Here’s an idea: go get it now.