4 Ideas to Boost Creativity in Your Studies

Edward de Bono said, “Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone.” Keep things interesting in your career and in your studies with these ideas of how to boost your creativity.

Brainstorming

Melody Jackson, founder of Smart Girls Productions, suggests brainstorming to help creativity. Brainstorm with a friend or colleague each week for a short session. You can do this with someone in your business or outside of it. This is almost more beneficial if they are outside of your industry because the other person doesn’t have as many fixed ideas. Each person comes to the call with a question or issue for the partner to brainstorm answers for. As you pose your question, explain the situation a little bit. Then, the other person starts spitting out as many ideas as they can think of for 3 minutes. Take notes on it and then you switch. Be consistent at this and don’t let yourself off the hook by thinking that you don’t need help with anything. The power of this resource comes from digging down into places in your mind that you don’t normally go.

Meditation

A study done at the University of Washington found that meditation increases creative thinking. Clarity often helps to clear the mind of the clutter of thoughts that we may have stored in our busy inbox, voice-mails, and to-do lists. It is important to take a 20 minutes break during the middle of the day to unwind. When our minds relax, creative thoughts and ideas are more likely to appear. 

Be Curious

Maintain and cultivate a sense of curiosity. Suni Suni, founder of careerglider.com says, “Often the biggest problem that occurs in stifling or stagnating creativity is a sense where you approach the work you face day to day as if it is a “been there, done that” sort of exercise.” It is easy to fall into this mindset as we all tend to face very role-driven categories of work and studies, and the more we demonstrate experience with and aptitudes for certain types of work, the more likely we are to align to that narrow category of expertise. But that should not ever prevent us from asking “what if…” each time we get a new assignment.

Smile

The ability to laugh at oneself and to maintain a light-hearted perspective in the midst of stressful circumstances is not just a great way to manage stress it’s also a key to creativity. 

In 2004, a research team led by Dartmouth psychologist William Kelley, PhD, asked participants to watch episodes of Seinfeld and other comedies while recording fMRI images of the participants’ brain activity. Later, when researchers compared the brain scans with the timing of the participants’ laughter, they found that just before participants laughed at a joke (when their brains were working to get the joke), their posterior temporal lobes—the same area of the brain that helps solve problems—lit up. Those findings give neurological support to what psychologists have known for several decades: exposure to comedy bolsters creativity and enhances problem-solving and workplace effectiveness. 

Creativity gives hope to a worthwhile idea. As you follow these ideas, you will be more happy and creative at work. It will make your days more interesting and your life will take on more meaning.

Bio: Adam is a published author, an avid student, and a prolific writer. He works with CareerGlider.com to help students find job opportunities.