How to feel more inspired

Short of ideas? Nine strategies to spark up your creativity

Procrastinate less, produce more.

I’m a coach, working with creative professionals. Writers, artists, designers, musicians. A lot of my clients come to me with issues around procrastination. They want to feel more inspired, to increase their productivity. What I usually suggest is so counter-intuitive they often resist it, at first.

I often ask them to slow down, and take more breaks. To be kind to themselves, rather than to push harder.

We all need more space in our lives.

Many of us put far too much emphasis on productivity, on using every minute well. We consider any sliver of time as wasted if we’re not actively working, doing chores, achieving or occupied in some way that feels useful. (Until, of course, we get so exhausted that we sink in front of a screen for hours.)

Examine the daily routines of prolific creatives, and you’ll find they often include fiercely protected bursts of deep, focussed work interspersed with long walks, indulgent meals with friends, time for reading, culture, even for absorbing hobbies.

This is when new ideas germinate, when we make new connections, see new solutions.