In the first installment of this article, we defined being creative as the act of forming something novel that has value. It may be a physical object such as a piece of art or something intangible like an idea. We also discussed why being creative was important to everyone, including the development of problem-solving skills, helping people deal with uncertainty, and helping people to be better at seeing the big picture.
New York Times best-selling author and journalist Steven Kolter says that there are three main things that everyone should be doing to boost their creativity levels, including befriending your brain, understanding the importance of “non-time,” and thinking inside the box. In Part 2 of this article, we will be discussing the importance of “non-time” and thinking inside the box.
Non-time is Kolter’s term for the time of the day when we are completely alone. For Kolter, it is the dead time between 4:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. when it is pitch black, and his family is not yet up for the day. It is a time that he considers perfect for his writing as he can afford to be patient and let ideas flow. If he needs to take his time to get a sentence or a chapter just right, he is able to take that time. In Kolter’s view, non-time is critical for anyone who wishes to maximize their creativity as it is necessary to be completely without distraction or responsibility for at least a little while each day. Stress and daily deadlines stifle the creative process because the brain is forced to focus on details and place time constraints. This takes away from the big picture and basically puts a bend in the firehose of ideas, slowing them to a trickle. Non-time allows the mind to dream and wander and allows ideas that would normally be disregarded to percolate to the top. It also gives us the ability to forget our problems for a while, which also helps us to relax, thus creating an optimal environment to innovate.
To create non-time, we need to set aside time to be completely alone. This isn’t to say that collaboration is unimportant. It simply means that along with time spent working with others, we need to also dedicate time to being by ourselves. This could be achieved by getting up early or staying up late after the kids are in bed. It could even be had by occasionally spending a weekend alone in a cabin, as Henry David Thoreau describes in Walden. (Though your spouse might have a problem if you left them alone with the kids for a year or more.) Based on current research, Kolter recommends scheduling at least 90-120 minutes of solitude every day and gradually increasing that time as your schedule and lifestyle allow.
The last way to foster creativity is by thinking inside the box. No, this is not a mistake. Though the theme of this article has been that stifling unconventional ideas is bad for creativity and innovation, we do want some parameters. Simply, we need a starting point for solving a problem or finding an opportunity. We need a seed of a thought from which our brains can work on the issue in the background without the noise of completely random thought. What we want is the beginning framework rather than working completely from scratch. As Kolter likes to put it, “Sometimes a blank page is too blank to be useful. That’s why one of my cardinal rules in work is: Always know your starts and your endings.” Without parameters, many people find themselves unable to even begin the process of creating.
Whatever your job, passion, or family role, creativity can and should be cultivated. It is the process of creating something new such as an idea or an object, and has value in literally every area of life. Being creative has been shown to help boost mood and stave off depression. It fuels invention and innovation and aids in problem-solving. So, in this ever-changing world where uncertainty is inevitable, work to foster a bit of creativity as it will help you live your best life.
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