This is How I stay inspired at work

Photo by Josh Boot on Unsplash

Experiment #: 7

As I identified in ‘Perceive the Pattern’, inspiration is just not easy to come by. And it is expected that we continuously churn out new ideas.

There is no short-cut or quick fix here I’m afraid. To be inspired, one has to have wonder and exposure. Always.

Wonder about the way your product works, about the reasons for your product’s existence, about your customers, your brand, your market, your competitors….

If you just wondered, “How is wonder different from curiosity?”, I thought it too. If you didn’t then wonder about it now.

So, from the depths of my brain, here it comes - Wonder begins on the edge of curiosity.

Right…well…Exposure. 

Surround your self with art. Go for a long walk. Talk off topic with colleagues and friends. Read. Think of ‘What if” situations. Basically, just relax and spend some 'me' time. Fill your brain with ideas, concepts, experiences.

And THIS will open up your mind. Help you connect dots. Give you new, fresh ideas.

"GIVE YOU INSPIRATION"

What works for me best is thinking of the challenge deeply and then just leave it be. I do other stuff. And then I get the light bulb.

But for the idea to hit me, I do other stuff in the meantime.

Being a good listener helps. Starting conversations and listening to people’s perspectives really broadens my mind as I am always looking, hunting for new ideas.

Reading a new story or watching a new series helps too. It transports me into another world of different characters and in my brain, I think of how a Daenerys Targaryen or Tyrion Lannister would strategize. Or my all time favorite is, how would Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock deal with the situation.

When stuck in a boring daily routine, we start to ignore our surroundings. So, I change my routine and I face new challenges that I overcome, new things that I never noticed before. This broadens my mind to fresh and new perspectives.

I am a serial hobbyist. And an obsessive one at that too. I suffer from chronic restlessness, which is I just can’t sit empty handed. I love taking up new and different projects and complete it. This is my way of taking up new art forms. I started a miniature garden, it is on its way to flourishing. I took up knitting as a de-stressing activity once, I have knitted too many projects to count. Don’t get me started on cooking. New activities just open up parts of the mind you never thought existed.

Bouncing my ideas off people helps a lot. I get very valuable advice and a different perspective. It could be your mother too. After all two minds are better than one.

In our line, it is essential to punctually churn out new ideas and for that, we have to stay eternally inspired. 

And what could be better than indulging in extra-curricular activities in the name of the job?