Something out of nothing: Follow these tips to boost creativity on the job

Certain careers and jobs are considered more creatively inclined than others. Everyone assumes an artist or an architect employs creative thinking on a daily basis while on the job, but creativity is an in-demand asset across virtually all industries. Even jobs known for being more numerical in nature, such as accounting or data entry, still require a significant amount of outside-the-box thinking to find consistent success. Unexpected problems are ubiquitous in business, and such hurdles often call for innovative and imaginative solutions. 

Creativity isn’t reserved solely for the Da Vincis, Picassos, and Banksys among us. It involves far more than sketches, paintings, and designs. Creativity, in its purest form, means creating something out of nothing. If you can do that, you’ll be a success regardless of your chosen field. From a social media manager brainstorming new posts and memes to generate engagement, to an HR department tasked with producing new employee onboarding materials, creativity is what sets the good workers apart from the standout, star employees.

Of course, for many people, an average day on the job is hardly conducive to creativity. Countless offices and workspaces demand that their employees adhere to a strict code of conduct and way of doing things that prioritizes productivity over free thought or new ideas. In other words, micromanagement is a notorious creativity killer. One research project published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes concluded as much, reporting an especially rigid information structure within an organization may help efficiency – but also tends to hurt creativity.

So what can employees and employers alike do differently to cultivate more creativity? Unfortunately, there’s no one clear cut answer to that question. Similar to sleep, creativity is usually most elusive when forced, yet often appears effortlessly once one stops trying so hard to find it. That being acknowledged, a number of helpful strategies for tapping into one’s creative side have emerged in recent years. Here are a few tips that may help increase creative output on the job.

Daydreaming pays creative dividends

Daydreaming is often seen as a negative activity that leads to nothing more than lost time and silly ideas among middle management and upper executives, but bosses may want to think twice the next they’re about to reprimand a worker for daydreaming on the job. A study published in the Academy of Management Journal reports allowing the mind to wander actually helps promote increased creativity and problem solving. This is especially true for employees who are passionate about their jobs.

Walk it out

There are plenty of reasons to prioritize getting up from your desk habitually throughout the day, as countless studies and health professionals tell us a sedentary lifestyle is linked to a long list of physical health concerns. Well, according to one study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, taking a walk can also boost creative thinking and original ideas. It’s easy to get bogged down by a dilemma the more one stares at it. Taking in some fresh air and getting the body moving can help clear the mind and jumpstart the imagination.

Isolate your imagination

In life, there are extraverts and there are introverts. Some people naturally enjoy the company of others and being the center of attention, while others much prefer fading into the background and remaining largely out of sight. Antisocial tendencies, generally speaking, aren’t considered all that healthy for one’s mental health, but research published in Personality and Individual Differences tells us a little bit of alone time is linked to a positive uptick in creative activity.

The big caveat here is one must enter into solitude for the right reasons; the study specifically linked “non-fearful social withdrawal” to creativity. In other words, if an individual is spending time alone due to fear or anxiety tied to potential social interactions, it may not be so conducive to creative output. But, if the notion of an evening alone with a good book or an engrossing project sounds like a perfect Saturday night to you, such an atmosphere may be the ideal setting to formulate new ideas and creative solutions.

Clean air promotes creativity

Air pollution, or smog, is an environmental risk factor tied to tons of health concerns like increased odds of cardiovascular disease, but many may be surprised to learn of a connection to creativity. Research published in Scientific Reports tells us it is absolutely essential that workspaces and places of business feature clean air quality if they want employees to generate innovative solutions. Study authors discovered that poor air quality (caused by any number of contaminants such as pesticides, paint, perfumes, and aerosol sprays) negatively influenced a group of participants’ creativity during a task that involved building 3D models. All in all, cleaning up the air in a workspace is estimated to increase a given individual’s creative potential by 12%.

Different perspectives 
Certain personalities and work styles gel nicely with each other, while others tend to clash more often than not. The notion of putting together a team of differing personalities may not sound like the ideal strategy for productivity, but a study released in the Journal of Organizational Behavior reports work teams comprised of diverse personalities, personas, and perspectives may help produce greater creativity than other groups that all approach problems the same way. For example, if the team lead is more analytical and data driven, it’s probably a good idea to throw in a few big-picture thinkers as well to help even things out. It’s a delicate balance, no doubt, but when a collection of diverse thinkers can get on the same page and recognize each individual’s strengths, it can be the perfect recipe for outside-the-box, creative breakthroughs.