Sitting at a desk or work station is no way to stimulate your creative thinking. Even though most businesses thrive on creativity and innovation they create an environment that can actually limit your creative skills. Thinking outside the box is what spawns innovative ideas but trying to do so in a 'restricted' environment is challenging.
Now that the warmer weather has arrived it is likely that for many this restriction will be lifted, at least temporarily.
The first conducive step towards thinking outside the box is to 'open up' your environment. Getting away from a 'cramp' work spaces and going outdoors is a terrific start! Thank the heavens for warm weather, barbecues, and vacation time. These are times where you can actually make significant inroads with your work or business even though you may be spending less time with either.
Here are 3 reasons the warmer weather helps to stimulate any creative skills or thinking that may have been restricted by the 'cramp' indoors.
More Time Outdoors - More Stimuli
Whether it is watching a bird in flight, a fish jumping out of the water, or a child skipping a stone these visions all relax us unless the fish was a great white shark of course. This relaxed state and the visions we witness by being outdoors feeds our sub-conscious mind allowing for a greater flow of creative thought.
Less Pressure
A tense or under-stimulated mind is not a likely source for creativity and innovation. The 'stagnation' of spending most of your time indoors in the same environment and exposed to the same people can make you stressed and even depressed. Getting outside introduces more physical activity to you allowing for improved blood circulation to the body. This enhances your feeling of well being and ability to think more clearly in addition to being a great stress reliever.
More Social Interaction
Getting outside more often due to the nicer weather allows us to interact more with family, friends, neighbors etc. This exposure introduces more stimulants to our lives compared to the more restricted or limited contact we maintain during the more inclement times of the year. The more we interact with others the more likely new perspectives will be introduced leading to new patterns of thoughts or innovative ideas.
Capturing ideas from others or even having a conversation stimulates your own thinking.
Although creative thinking fuels the growth of many businesses the 'work atmosphere' is not a good breeding ground for creativity and innovation. Remaining 'cramped' up indoors is not the best way to develop any new or innovative ideas. Ironically as more people will be spending less time at work due to the nicer weather it is predictable they will experience an increase in their own creativity. The 3 reasons this occurs are explained here and are due to a more relaxed atmosphere and an increase in the stimuli to which people are exposed. So enjoy the season ahead knowing that while you are more fully enjoying family, friends and life your creative thinking is kicking into high gear.