Avoid These 4 Creativity Killers

When you are trying to boost your creative intelligence there are things that you need to avoid to give yourself the best chance of success. If you don’t do this, it doesn’t matter how much time and effort you spend on using different creativity techniques you are not going to get the optimal results.

 

We call these 4 things creativity killers. You need to know what they are and you must avoid them. In this article, we will explain what these are and what you can do to avoid them. Some of them are easy to avoid and others not so easy.

 

1. Being in a Creativity Stifling Job

 

This is one of those that is not so easy to avoid. A lot of jobs do not require you to use any of your creative talents. The boss shows you how to do the job and then you need to follow these instructions forever until someone changes them. That someone is not going to be you.

 

In a lot of jobs, you will be actively discouraged from trying to come up with creative ideas and new ways of doing things. This is a pretty short-sighted thing for a business to do but it does happen a lot. So, what can you do if you have a creativity stifling job?

 

The most obvious answer is to get another job where you can use your creativity. We appreciate that this is easier said than done. If this is not an option for you then change your routine at work. Go out for lunch and find an area where you can be creative. Spend time with different people every day to get a fresh perspective.

 

2. Being too Connected

 

What we mean here is that you are so involved with everyone and everything you never have time for creativity. Every minute of every day you are busy doing something. If this is you then you need to change this right now.

 

Everyone seems to have a smartphone these days and they just spend too much time with it. It really is not necessary for you to respond to every notification you receive immediately. Look at different ways that you can disconnect yourself so that you can free up some creative time.

 

3. Copying others

 

You have been asked by your boss to come up with some new ideas for the company website. Most people in this situation will look at what their competitor is doing and suggest that this is copied. It is OK to look at the work of other creative people for inspiration but it is not a good idea just to copy them.

 

Anyone can copy someone else. It is the easy way out and you do not need to use any creativity to do this. Don’t just follow what others do – find inspiration elsewhere and come up with your own ideas.

 

4. Ignoring what others are telling you

 

This is something that a lot of entrepreneurs do because they are so focused on their own ideas. Not listening enough to others can happen elsewhere of course. When you listen to others you will gain a different perspective on things and be able to learn from their ideas. Don’t deprive yourself of this opportunity.