Our Thoughts
Creativity and Productivity are NOT Dead
Aug 20, 2015
We’ve all been there; a million deadlines, and a limited amount of time to complete them efficiently. So the next question is, how do we meet productivity while keeping our creative identities? It’s been shown that 40% of our productive time is wasted when we switch between multiple tasks at once, and creativity gets lost in the shuffle.
Even though you might feel stepping away from your computer will result in you losing time on projects, it actually will help you regain your focus and will help you create your best work.
Remove e-mail, text and social media notifications from your phone or computer. Also, assign one team member to take all of your notes during a meeting so electronics aren’t being overly used. This will allow for more group interaction, better ideas, and will make for less distractions and use of electronics.
Creating a visual list is the best way to make sure you don’t forget any of your deadlines, while also putting your most important project first. Putting these items on a calendar is also extremely important. A calendar on your computer with reminders is a great solution, however even just having a hanging calendar within your cubicle will keep you on track.
It’s important to love the space you are working in, especially since most of us spend 8+ hours a day there. Certain things like listening to calming music, investing in comfortable ergonomic office furniture, and even bringing pictures to hang in your work space are all ways to keep comfortable while keeping the creativity flowing.
Everyone makes mistakes, but having the ability to accept mistakes as an experience to grow keeps productivity flowing. Figure out why the mistakes happened, and then come up with three ways that those mistakes can be avoided in the future. The more alternatives the better, plus some of your best ideas might come from the mistakes you’ve made in the past!
What better way to get creativity flowing than understanding the future goals of your company. Understanding where your company is going, and how you fit in to the bigger picture will not only help your creativity, but will make you want to produce your best work! Plus, it doesn’t hurt to make sure you are involved in team building events or any volunteer work that your business participates in.
So now is the time to embrace creativity, and enhance productivity. Small changes can make drastic improvements within the workplace, and now is time to create a game plan!