Creative Thinking Exercises

Mental creative blocks are very real. You’re stumped, staring at your canvas, not knowing where to begin. Believe it or not, there are exercises that can help.

Hello world! I’m Mike Ploger with Visme — the platform that will change the way you prepare for the biggest professional challenges and projects.

One thing that I’ve struggled with in the past is defeating a creative block, AKA the inability to come up with original ideas. The gears in my mind just stop turning and fresh thoughts or ideas completely elude me.

These occurrences can last a day, a week or even months to a year. When you’re stuck and struggling to be creative though, you can’t just hope you’ll come out of it. Believe it or not, there are creative thinking exercises that you can do to boost your creativity.

In this video, I’ll share eight of those exercises to help you start coming up with brilliant, original ideas. Shall we?

1. Schedule Creative Free-Time

One of the most difficult times to be creative is when you’re given a deadline to come up with a brilliant idea. It’s extremely difficult to focus on brainstorming when your mind is worried about how little time it has.

For example, rather than sitting around waiting and then being dealt a deadline of “devise a new ad campaign by the end of the day,” set aside a time in your daily or weekly schedule to do some creative thinking.

There’s no expectation, no pressure, just you and your thoughts.

Think of creativity as a plant. It’s not going to grow in a closed box of restrictions and deadlines. It needs space, time and regular treatment in order to flourish.

Check out this daily planner infographic on Visme.com if you need help visualizing your schedule. Maybe there’s a free half hour in your day that you can devote to creative thinking.

2. Set a Timer

Now, considering everything I just said, some people are just the opposite. Some work better under pressure and their creative gears turn faster when there is a deadline.

An example would be giving yourself 10 minutes to come up with as many captions for an Instagram post as possible. Or an hour to conceptualize designs for a marketing project.

While deadlines can restrict some of us, they can also push us to work harder, in effect. pushing through that mental block. Find out what works best for you.

3. Think Quantity Over Quality

When it comes to creativity, quantity over quality can take you very far. What do I mean?

Well, instead of searching for that one perfect caption in your mind, start churning out 30 different captions and write them down. Do the same for ad campaign headlines or article topics or whatever your project may require.

By writing one idea down, a second idea will surface and then a third and a fourth. Creativity is a domino effect. Once you get the ball rolling, there is no stopping you.

So don’t focus on nailing down that one perfect idea on the first try. Don’t be afraid to brain vomit for lack of a better term and let your ideas spill on the paper.

4. Become an „Idea Machine“

To be creative, you might have to step outside of your comfort zone. Think about it like this: to become smarter or expand your vocabulary, you should read more books.

Don’t like reading? Well, tough luck. It’s a surefire way to help you.

Don’t limit yourself on how you’re going to help your creative outlook. Sometimes, you need to step outside your comfort zone in order to grow. One idea that’s proven to work? Turning yourself into an idea machine.

The concept was pioneered by author James Altucher and it’s quite simple. Every single day, you need to come up with at least 10 original ideas.

One day, it might be 10 funny Halloween costumes. The next day, it could be 10 ideas for the next great superhero.

While those are more abstract, you can also go professional and think of 10 new inventions or 10 new businesses that no one has thought of yet.

The goal is to simply write down 10 new ideas each and every day. By doing so, your creativity is given a chance to expand in ways that you hadn’t realized before. You ‘re thinking outside of the box and making new connections.

And besides, it can be fun. Challenge your co-workers or employees to do the same and you’ll be blown away as to what you can think of.

5. Switch Up Your Routine

So you’re in need of some inspiration. What are the chances you were doing the same thing you are now the last time you needed inspiration? And the time before that and the time before that.

A change of scenery and switching up your routine can be the perfect flint for sparking some new ideas.

Go for a walk, drive a new way home, listen to different music or tackle a new podcast. Move things around at your desk. If you have a set schedule everyday, move events around. Instead of lunch at noon, push it back. Same project, but different day? Work on it at a different time.

You would be surprised by how the smallest of things can make you feel an entirely different person. Think of these as a breath of fresh air. They’re helpful ideas to help you get you back on your feet.

6. Look at Something Familiar Through a New Lens

Okay, here’s an exercise. Take a minute and look around you. Any ordinary objects lying around? Maybe a paper clip, tissue box or a mouse pad even?

Set a timer for two minutes and come up with as many unorthodox uses for that object as you can. A paperclip could pop a lock. A tissue box could store plastic bags. A mouse pad can be used to hold steamy hot pans.

This is called the alternative uses test and it was developed in the 1960’s by a guy named J.P. Guilford. It forces your creative muscle to grow by looking at ordinary objects through a different lens, encouraging divergent thinking.

7. Read More

Did you really think after bringing it up earlier, I wasn’t going to encourage you to read more? It’s undeniably one of the greatest ways to learn.

Here’s the thing though. Pick up a book about a topic that is completely unrelated to your line of work. Don’t read a book that you could write. Read a book that’s going to help you grow and better your understanding of another topic.

By exposing yourself to new ideas, you’re helping your brain pick up new ways of thinking.

8. Free Write More

Along the same lines as reading is writing. Take 10 minutes a day to sit down, grab a pen and write your thoughts down. Whatever comes to mind, write it.

It doesn’t have to be grammatically correct or win a literary award. The purpose is to just let your thoughts flow and free your mind of clutter.

One of the most common ways to do this is with a diary. Keep a notebook and pencil by your bed and jot down your thoughts before getting some shut eye. It can be your little secret on your way to enhance creative thinking.

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s all I have. Training your mind is just as if not more important than training your body.

It takes practice, repetition and exercise. And even then, you must challenge yourself in order to get ahead. Follow these tips I’ve shared today and it won’t be long before you are ahead of the game and wowing your audience with your great ideas.

Thank you so much for watching. Please make sure to hit that like button if we were of any help and then check out our channel. And dare I say, subscribe if we can be of more help in the future.

I’ll catch you back here next time. With Visme, I’m Mike Ploger helping you Make Information Beautiful.