Five ways to wake up creativity

Your brain has a switch—one side cranks through tasks, checks off lists, and gets things done.

The other side wanders, imagines, and connects dots that don’t seem connected.

Both are essential, but most of us get stuck in productivity mode, drowning in efficiency thinking and shutting off access to creative spark.

The good news? You can flip the switch.

Accessing your creativity quickly just means doing a little warm up, just like preparing for a gym session or going for a run.

Think of it like a 5 minute stretch class for your mind.

Here's five ways I get my mind into a creative mode after being stuck in productivity for much of the day.

1. Create space:
Close the laptop. Put down the checklist. For the next 5 minutes, your only job is to challenge your mind to think differently.

2. Generate crazy ideas:
Write down 10 crazy ideas that first come to into your head without judgement. I learned this technique from James Altucher, best selling author of The Power of No, entrepreneur and American hedge fund manager.

3. Change inputs:
Your brain repeats what it consumes. If you’ve been staring at spreadsheets, doodle on a blank page. If you’ve been in back-to-back meetings, close your eyes and slow your breath. The idea is to break your mental patterns.

4. Ask yourself a weird question:
What if your problem had to be solved without money? What if a 5-year-old had to explain it? What if you did the exact opposite of what makes sense? The idea is to get your mind warmed up to making new connections.

5. Move:
Walk. Stretch. Change rooms. Creativity loves motion. We are wired to think our most creatively when moving. Go for a quick walk before a meeting where you need your creativity to switch on.

Our best ideas don’t come from grinding harder. They come from learning how to access thinking differently.