It’s a myth that only certain people are creative or that you have to act in a particular way or dress as ‘creative types’ do. Everyone is creative, you have to be to get on in business, or life for that matter. But there are some things that can help each of us boost our creativity and improve the quality of our ideas. It just might make the difference between doing a good job for your client and doing a GREAT job so that they want to tell everyone they know about it.

1. Let it happen – sounds odd but it’s true. You may have been thinking about how to solve a particular problem for some time but give yourself a little time to think again about it and chances are that something will come up.
2. Carry a notebook – even if you are really used to smartphones and other gadgetry nothing beats a small notebook for jotting down things that spark your interest or you think might be useful. You don’t have to keep it on your bedside table but how often do you wake up in the morning and say “now what was it I was thinking about when I woke up in the middle of the night?”.
3. Do something different each day – this can be the smallest thing like changing your route to work or eating something different for lunch. If you do the same things each day you are losing out on the opportunity to experience things that are new to you and which can spark off new thoughts.
4. Read or watch something different – try reading articles or magazines which you wouldn’t normally consider being of interest. It’s amazing how many novel ideas come about through looking at something unrelated to what you are used to and having that eureka moment and applying what you see from one area to another.
5. Mix with different people – they don’t have to be wacky way-out types but if they do different things to what you do they will have differing perspectives to you. Networking is great but make sure you don’t just go to events that are full of the same industry types or are full of people from your own business.
6. Look at nature – it doesn’t matter what you look at whether it’s the way an insect walks or a bird flies if you look closely at the natural world and think about how what you see relates to your business issue you will be surprised at just how creative your thinking can get.
7. Just try something different – to be creative doesn’t mean changing everything wholesale and in a flamboyant manner. Being creative is about doing things in a slightly different way that enables you to be more effective in your business. If you think you need to change something then do it and see how it goes – you can always change it again if you really need to.