This Creativity-Boosting System Will Help You Get More Productive

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During university, I often struggled with creating arguments for my assignments and coursework. Especially while I was in the process of completing my final year dissertation. Other than drowning my sorrows and anxiety with a pint or three, I created and used this “creativity-boosting” system that helped me get more productive and efficient with my work. I saw that after completing these simple steps, I achieved more with the time that I had.

I genuinely believe that creativity needs to be trained like a muscle. Like your biceps, if left alone for too long, they become lazy and less dynamic. Many logical subjects require creative and unique solutions, and although seemingly different, productivity and creativity work hand-in-hand.

So here’s all you need to know to get back into your flow, become more productive, and get your efficiency up to scratch.

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A Tidy Space

The first thing I like to do is to have a clear working area with no distractions whatsoever. Ideally, the workspace needs to be well lit, clean and comfortable. There’s nothing worse than working at a cafe, with someone’s half-eaten salmon & cheese bagel sitting right next to your computer.

“One way to organise your thoughts is to tidy up, even if it’s in places which make no sense at all.“ — Ursus Wehrli

So here’s what you can do:

1. The first rule my mother taught me when I was a kid, “Before you play with a new toy, you gotta put the first one back!” At the time, I hated it. But as usual, your mum is always right. So gather every item that is out of place, and put them back where they’re supposed to be.
2. Prioritise your most important tasks first, and position them accordingly within your workflow.
3. Clean your desk whenever you need to start a new task. Regular decluttering is excellent and can make you feel refreshed.
4. Make sure you have an open space available for writing (depending on your dominant hand). To the right of my computer, I have an A4-paper sized area where I have my notebook, journal or iPad to scribble down notes, doodles or moments of inspiration.
5. Try not to eat where you work. You want your workspace to function only as your workspace. This should extend to all areas of life, keep specific places for specific actions. Bedrooms for relaxation and sleep, your desk for work and productivity, each space should have a singular function.

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Another thing to keep in mind is not allowing external factors to distract you from your work — so no phone anywhere near you. If you have to have your phone, especially if it’s essential for work, then download apps that help you manage your time. There’s one already built into the iOS, but you can download something like Offtime (iOS & Android) and AppDetox (Android).

Meditate

Meditation is the medicine for your mind. I truly believe that daily meditation practices will not only help you become more productive but also increase clarity and creativity. If you’ve read my article on Post University Boredom, you’ll know that practising mindfulness can help alleviate anxiety and stress.

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When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a candle in a windless place. — Bhagavad Gita

Using an app like Calm can get you started with simple guided meditations. It will not only help you relax but can aid with other aspects of life, like sleeping or increasing self-esteem. When you’re more comfortable with your practice, you can go solo and meditate without guidance. I use an app called Rain Rain Rain to add some soothing background noises.

Mental Training Games

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So, Mental Training Games. Let me explain.

Something that is an absolute certainty is that it is in our nature to procrastinate when we get bored/unmotivated/uninspired. I know this because it happens to me all the time, and it happens to all my friends. But how do we avoid it?

One of the things I do is try to keep my brain activated while procrastinating. During my time in university and high school, I always had a Rubik’s cube in my bag. I’ve always loved playing with a Rubik’s cube, and it still got me going, especially with my writing.

Rather than spending the time on your phone, scrolling through memes and playing games, you’re giving your brain a workout. So while you’re technically “procrastinating,” you’re still making your mind work in a way that is beneficial to you.

A lot of people can’t solve the Rubik’s cube (or don’t know how to watch 50 hours of youtube videos to memorise the algorithms), and that’s okay. So to help you, here are a few excellent “brain training” apps that will get the job in a more accessible and better way:

1. Peak (my fave)
2. Lumosity
3. Mensa Training App
4. Elevate

However, some people have no control over their phone, so I recommend to try and finish a crossword puzzle or do a sudoku problem.

All of these work in similar ways to the apps or a Rubik’s cube. You got this!

Thanks for reading this article! If you’ve enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below! If you’ve got more time on your hands, check out my previous article here!