De-stress and Create

Stress is an interesting thing. When stressed, I know I tend to stop looking for new information: instead I rely on systems I have already set up to carry me through, and I tend to worry about the team. So I was very interested to read a short from HBR about some tactics to get creative when we are stressed.

Attempting to relax by doing something different is the first step that Saunders (29 November 2018) offers: doing an activity that you know will allow your mind to wander. I thought of ironing (yeah, right!), swimming, walking or bathing the dog. Things that you can do on auto-pilot, so your thoughts can free-wheel. Keep your hands busy while the boys in the basement get to work (King, 1998).

The next step that she suggests is to get new information (Saunders, 29 November 2018). Your source could be a trip to the local library; getting some research articles; a trip to a local organisation to see how they tackle similar work; a networking event; a short course on the topic; a conference; or collaborating with others. New input should lead to new outputs.

The last point she makes is that we can't rush creativity. Ideas take time to form, so we need try not to get too attached to getting to a speedy outcome.


Sam

References:

• HBR (24 January 2019). The Management Tip of the Day: Stress Doesn’t Have to Short-Circuit Your Creativity. Retrieved from http://m.a.email.hbr.org/rest/head/mirrorPage/@zp5KcgeLpBcsrUBm0I06TsNC_ssvB7P0rTRXCH_28D_ILrlxLc-2grGsHM9dhprAqjFPN7Y1TYtLGeChud3WPua_qc-T5Q6GFlq6052oCmoxUx0Y.html?deliveryName=DM25323
• King, Stephen (1998). Bag of Bones. USA: Scribner.
• Saunders, E. G. (29 November 2018). How to Be Creative When You’re Feeling Stressed. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/11/how-to-be-creative-when-youre-feeling-stressed?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_not_activesubs&referral=00203&deliveryName=DM25323