Inspired Productivity: The Creative Way To Get Things Done

Got Creativity?

For many people, productivity has become the Holy Grail of personal development.  These days, everyone wants to do more and get more value from what they’re doing.  Finding and keeping a job has become serious business, and showing the boss that you’re extremely productive seems like the surest path to success.  As a hedge against job loss, many people are starting side businesses.  Success as an entrepreneur has become a reality for some, but many who aspire to success are unable to find the time and motivation to make things happen.

It takes real creativity to be truly productive and still maintain a balanced life.  Creativity may seem like the antithesis to productivity, since it implies experimentation and inspiration rather than hard work.  But if you spend some time observing successful productive people it will soon become apparent that creativity plays a key role in their approach to life.

Here are three ways that creativity can inspire you to become the productive person you want to be…

1.    Create belief in yourself. Picture yourself as the productive person you want to be and keep that picture in your mind.  Get to know your talents and strengths, believe in them, and let that belief fuel your energy.  Productivity is all about energy, and that energy needs to be focused on your strengths.  When faced with a challenge or new task, assume that you will find a way to be successful.  Refusing to recognize the possibility of failure is one of the best ways to avoid it.

2.    Create a vision of what you want to do. There’s no point in wishing for greater productivity without some objectives.  Set some goals and write them down.  Get creative with your goals and add some real challenges to the list.  Next it’s time to think about priorities.  Work, Family, Body, Mind, Spirit – these are the things that make life worth living.  Keeping them in balance is a challenge; the best way to meet that challenge is to have goals in each area.  True productivity depends on priorities and balance.

3.    Create the path to your goals. For many, this is the hardest part of the process and the place where many people fall short.  Acting on your goals and priorities will require you to make some changes and break with some routines.  This step requires you to figure out how you’re going to take the risks that lead to your goals.  Creativity and experimentation are needed, since the path is not obvious and there may even be dead ends.  When it becomes obvious that an approach you have taken is not leading to your goals, it takes courage and strength to look for another way to get there.

Each person has creative resources to draw upon, but many people aren’t willing to use these resources to define life-changing goals and find creative ways to achieve these goals.  Guaranteed, every successful productive person has moved through this territory.  Is creativity something that can be learned and developed?  Experts in creativity say it can be, and that creativity is not just for artists but is a necessary survival skill in today’s world. Identifying and emulating some of the traits of creative people is one way to become more creative.

Here is a sampling of creative traits:

•    Flexible. Creative people are fluid and flexible.  Like organisms that survive through adaptation, creative individuals are flexible in their thinking and able to abandon plans that aren’t working in favor of something new.  They are able to find new perspectives and approaches for problems.

•    Unafraid of failure. Fear of failure is the great inhibitor.  Creative people are comfortable ignoring conventional thinking and experimenting.  They try new things without fear of failure; they don’t let fear of making a mistake stop them from devising a plan.  Creative people who are productive also have the ability to learn from failure.

•    Playful. The creative mind is free-wheeling and childlike in its playfulness. For many, adulthood means burying one’s playful side.  Cultivating playfulness, fantasy and imagination will lead to greater creativity.

•    Energetic. Creative people are passionate, enthusiastic and energetic.  They seek excitement and stimulation, including mental stimulation.

•    Motivated. Inner motivation is what drives creative people, even more than recognition for their successes.  They start almost every day with a plan of action and ideas to address current projects and goals.

Creativity comes naturally to some lucky people.  For everyone else, the process of becoming more creative takes time and involves experimentation and risk. Seeking out challenges, learning new skills, becoming accustomed to change and moving out of one’s comfort zone are all ways to foster creativity.  With creativity at your disposal, you will be inspired to plan a highly productive and balanced life.