Creative contouring

Swati Rai

Creative thinking would undoubtedly top the chart among the 21st century employability skills. But the fact remains that a staid work atmosphere and daily rigour of worklife may sap the creative soul of an employee. Add to this the work commute, traffic snarls and everyday negativity at the workplace, and the chances of creativity blooming become slim.

This can have a ripple effect at the workplace, making the cut-and-dried work devoid of innovation and interest. The 'Why' of being creative and innovative at work is as plain as day, now here is the part on how to boost this faculty to stay not merely afloat at work but soar to newer heights:

Self-motivation — Easier said than done?

Many a tome on the topic of self help, will tell you to stay the course of self-motivation. Tough, but doable. Making short-term goals or breaking down life’s aims into short achievable chunks with realistic deadlines will help. Also journaling, documenting your day will help in synergising conscious living from within. Meditation is not mandatory but experts suggest centring the mind, in one’s chosen method, to sharpen the focus and cut out white noise of everyday living. Listening to music, taking time out to read will help rejuvenate divergent thinking and problem solving ability.

Feed varied interests

‘Work is a part of life, not life itself’— this is a great dictum to remember. As humans go, their interest are multifarious. So be it pottery, astro-physics. poetry, writing or art and craft , indulge yourself in whatever ‘extra curricular’ activity catches your fancy. It gives an outlet to the creative instincts and also to the pent up emotional or mental stress. 

Of body and mind

Aligning physical fitness to go along with mental alacrity is another one of the things that one can look at to nurture creativity. A brisk walk, a few surya namaskars, jogging and mild exercise as suggested by the physician, are a must. Avoid excessive gadget monitoring of one’s movements constantly and going off on a guilt trip kind of an obsession. Engage in  longer lasting commitment to a healthy body, this will foster creative ability and out of the box thinking.

Passion

In the current work situation, thinking on one’s feet and finding a creative solution results in a win-win situation. This is what differentiates an ideal candidate from a passable one. Of course keeping, stress at bay is key to remaining creative. One way to do that, as recommended by life coaches, is to live mindfully and do things for one’s own self. Following your passion is the solution. So, a government employee can double up as a painter, a corporate cubicler can be a poetry enthusiast. Joining like-minded hobby clubs and honing a craft, working with one's hands, eating healthy, staying positive and managing time effectively also help in staying energetic, full of life force and top of the carts at work too! Give it a shot.

Fostering real life communication 

In the tech age when everyone’s connected with the hyper presence of gadgets across timelines, real life communication is taking a backseat. Unreal expectation of a happy life as peddled by the social media also affect us negatively. At such times, face-to-face communication, sharing a cup of coffee with family and friends can work wonders in giving a fresh perspective and adding that much needed, human touch. This refreshes the mind and propels one to think innovatively.