Why creativity is good for business
You know the slightly showy-offy social posts of a red sweaty face after a run? Or worse, a social video during the run (look, I can run and talk, what a specimen I am).
I would like to start the equivalent for creativity. Because it’s just as good exercise, with brilliant business benefits. (Actually, I might already do it. I have been known to post a pic of a zillion Post-It notes with ideas scribbled on them, so mea culpa on the showing off front, I guess).
“But I’m creative enough!” you cry, fanning yourself with some over-sized Post-Its. No matter how creative you are, getting creative exercise into your working life can reap rewards. And if you consider yourself not creative then this is most certainly something to try.
First, the science bit, so grab your white lab coat and a raised eyebrow in a knowing manner
Research shows that deliberate creative practice can enhance neuroplasticity in specific brain regions, leading to improved performance in creative tasks. Which means what, exactly? Your brain physically changes when you challenge it creatively, forming new neural pathways that make you better at coming up with ideas and problem-solving for your business.
Harvard Business Review puts it like this: "Creativity isn't inherent. You have to hone it." And the payoff for business owners is significant. Researchers have found that improving brain structure and cognitive function can help you perform better at work.
Why this makes an impact on your business
You know what running a business or being a freelancer is like. There are at least three decisions to make in any given minute, and that’s before you start on the big stuff, like how to market your business, designing your customer experience, creating a growth strategy. (Permission granted to go for a quick lie down).
Being able to move past an ‘okay idea’ that might look and feel quite similar to your competitors’ ideas, and instead have the ability to consistently come up with exciting, possibly daring and definitely distinct ideas will work wonders for your business growth potential. Bringing a more creative approach to even the more tedious business aspects- such as streamlining a process (sorry to all the process nerds out there) - will have a positive impact.
So how do you get creative exercise into your business?
There are hundreds of different creative work outs you can do to exercise your creative muscle, so try out as many as you can to see which you enjoy the most. Then turn these quick work outs into habits during your working day. The joy of practising creativity is that it is not time consuming – literally a couple of minutes for each exercise will be enough if you do it consistently. Now that’s the kind of time commitment I can get behind.
Like any new habit, it takes time to become part of your routine, so maybe attach it to an existing habit… like breakfast, lunch and dinner? Or in that first couple of minutes at your desk with your morning cuppa before you look at a screen, then at the lunch table, and finally just before you leave your desk for the day?
Vary the type of creative exercise you do throughout the day to keep it interesting. If you want to get your hands on 16 creative work out ideas to start you off, pop along to the Tool Shed and download the free Daily Creative Lucky Dip workout (it’s in the Creative Thinking section).
Good for the brain, good for business
The research is clear – creativity increases dopamine activity in certain brain regions. It’s not called the feel-good hormone for nothing. You’ll become better at finding more creative solutions, your problem-solving will become less ‘ho hum’ and more ‘humdinger’ and let’s not forget the most potent business benefit of all: it will be more FUN.