18 Small Ways To Improve Creative Thinking In 30 minutes Or Less

Midhat Eman
4 min readMar 21, 2021

We all want to be creative in our work and thinking. Sometimes it’s about making changes in your environment, working conditions, work methodology, etc.

Sometimes our brains stop working due to the constant stressful working conditions or our brain is just plain bored and wants some entertainment or excitement to get the creative cognition function working.

Following are some of the small ways you can increase your creative thinking process.

1. Go Outside

Taking a brisk walk in the yard or park or just going for cardio and experiencing the outside world by inhaling fresh oxygen, looking close to nature can increase your creative thinking process.

2. Trying Out Something New

Sometimes trying out new stuff like going on a new route or experiencing something new like a new food recipe will get our cognitive thinking process into action.

3. Music Listening

Trying out some jazz, pop, or old-school classical will sometimes help us stimulate our brain part that controls emotions, motor actions, and creativity.

4. Take Others Opinion

Ask others for help when you think you need ideas and opinions regarding your thought as this positive energy in the brain that generates new ideas and increases our perspective.

5. Do Some Daydreaming

Daydreaming might seem like a useless idea but some times our creative thoughts excel when our mind wanders off some give yourself break and let loose

6. Laugh It Off

Doing stressful work can have a hard time on the creative cognitive functions of our brain so sometimes we need a little laughter in our life.

A better mood increase in our life boosts the brain activity associated with emotion, decision-making, and complex cognition, therefore, resulting in better performance.

7. Roll Your Eyes

By doing eye exercises you are increasing the connection response of your brain neural networks which will lead to an increase & boost in creative thinking.

8. Redo Labels

The idea of breaking down objects into parts e.g Car into parts like door, engine, tire, etc. This action is known as the parts technique; the way by which people solve complex problems through insight compared to those who do have this kind of training for problem-solving.

9. Write It Down

Sometimes the fresh scent of pencil and paper can get people creative thoughts into gear as writing down has been the age of tradition of centuries.

Some people get a kick of this activity and they are better at writing things down than looking at computer screens for their creative thought flows.

10. Adopt Bed Position

Research suggests that some people are better at problem-solving when they are lying down than sitting up. This method is not too practical for the office environment but might get you in the creative mood for action.

11. Be Creative With Your Hands

When we do something with our hands we experience multiple senses and send signals to the brain which encourage creative energy production.

So do a thumps up or high five as doing something by our hands is a great tool for increasing productivity.

Do something creative with your hands like painting, cooking , decoration of your home, etc.

12. Having A Video Game Session

Video games can increase your memory retention and also boost your problem or puzzle-solving abilities by boosting your mood and bringing positive energy.

13. Take Some Rest

Sleeping stimulates brain activity which increases the creativity function of our brain. Sleep brings insight and helps us solve difficult problems. Sleeping gives way to new memory representations and new experiences to bring about insight.

14. Take After Perfection

Don’t stress yourself for being a perfection-loving addict as nobody is perfect or born creative. Creativity has to be cultivated or exercised as we are all creative in some ways or the other. Just give your best shot and enjoy the journey.

15. Listing Down Problems

Sometimes by listing down our problems in a journal or notebook can come in handy as our brains might pick up a creative solution to the current issue at hand.

16. Writing Down Unique Ideas

Sometimes we come up with different ideas in our life that we believe are not useful but sometimes listing down our thoughts about whatever we are thinking without worrying about it can have a positive effect on our mood and cultivate our creative thinking.

17. Spend Time Alone

Sometimes spending some with others helps to be creative but spending some time alone in peace and serenity is also helpful in boosting our creative thoughts so go get some headphones on, go for a brisk walk, get engaged in our inner feelings and thoughts.

18. Engaging In Fun Activities At Work

Take some time out at the office and engage in activities like gym breaks, engaging in conversation with teammates. Giving your body some break time and getting loose helps foster our creative thinking and boost our productivity for getting back to work.

Conclusion

No one is born with creativity from the start, it has to developed or fostered through time and energy through various activities in order to improve your creative thinking.

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Midhat Eman

I am freelance content writer willing to make an impact in world of writing.