Category: creativity
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The Art and Science of Doing Nothing
I read an article in the New York Times today about “niksen” which is a Dutch word meaning doing nothing. The article talks about how doing nothing can be good for you. Ironically the article touts the idea of doing nothing so that you can be more productive. Which to me would mean you are…
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The Next 100 Things You Need To Know About People: #116 — Everyone Can Be Creative
Creativity isn’t a trait that some people have and others don’t. Before I explain why that’s true, let me first define what I mean by creativity. If one hundred people looked at the same abstract painting by Jackson Pollock, many of them might say, “Oh, that artist is really creative,” but not everyone. If one…
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The Brain Science Of Why Stepping Away Increases Creativity
We’ve all had the experience: You’re trying to solve a problem or come up with a new idea. You’ve been sitting at your desk, or discussing it in meetings, but you haven’t come up with a solution or the right idea. Then you step away — go for a walk, go to lunch, weed the…
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The Art & Science Of Creativity
I’m really excited to announce that my newest online video course, The Art And Science Of Creativity is now live on Udemy. How many times have you heard that certain people are just “born creative,” and certain people “aren’t.” It’s not true. Creativity is a process with clearly defined steps that you can learn and…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #57 — There Are 4 Types Of Creativity
Have you heard someone say, “Oh, John – he’s so creative! I wish I was creative like that.” It makes it sound as if creativity is a natural skill or talent, like the ability to sing or paint. Other times people say “I’m going to a seminar to learn how to be more creative.” That…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #39 — Your Mind Wanders 30% of the Time
You are at work reading a report that one of your colleagues has written and you realize that you’ve just read the same sentence about three times. Instead of thinking about what you were reading, your mind wandered. Mind wandering is similar to, but not the same thing as daydreaming. Psychologists use daydreaming to refer…
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In The Zone: 10 Characteristics of the Flow State
Have you ever been in a flow state? You are engrossed in some activity; maybe it is something physical like rock climbing or skiing; maybe it is something artistic or creative, like playing the piano or painting, or maybe it is an everyday activity, like working on a powerpoint presentation or teaching a class… whatever…
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Sometimes The Best Idea Is To Steal One
What do rolling luggage and Method laundry detergent have in common? Bear with me while I tell some stories, and I’ll explain. The Mayans had wheeled toys, but not wheeled tools — I’m listening to a Financial Markets course by Robert Shiller from Yale. In one of the lectures, Professor Shiller talks about the Mayan…
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5 Steps to More Creativity Using Brain Science
Want to be more creative? Whether you are an artist, writer, scientist, web designer, marketer, sales person or business executive, being more creative means you’ll come up with more and better ideas and have more fun while you are doing it. If you want to have more creative ideas you need to work with, not…
