Happy Good Friday, Everyone!
I could say I planned this week’s newsletter for a timely delivery delay… I could say it was a MailChimp server delivery snafu… Or I could say there was a major newsflash causing me to completely scrap my planned article for something new.
But on this lovely Earth Day and cusp of Easter Weekend, the last I checked the earth was still orbiting the sun, Republicans and Democrats continue to bicker over all manner of topics, and I still want to get my marketing and business tips out for this week!
I began the week contemplating this week’s newsletter topic: Should I wrap up my discussion on the Elements of Good Design? Should I hammer away at getting the attention of your Target Market? Should I run a marketing-slanted commentary on the passing of Jess Jackson (of famed Kendall-Jackson wines)?
Now that the weekend is upon us and my creative juices have been well-hammered, I arrived at the conclusion it was a good day to talk about re-charging your business batteries. Having started writing this column twice only to have it peter out, at an opportune moment I wondered if everyone else felt depleted and how they crank up ye ole energy station again?
8 Ways to Get the Creative Juices Flowing
Whether you feel stuck, muddled, depleted or overwhelmed, there any number of things you can do to rejuvenate your own batteries and inner inspiration. Here are eight that can make a big difference.
- Meditation ~ I’m a daily practioner. You may only get two minutes or twenty. But it’s essential to set aside a few minutes daily to turn your brain off.
- View of Nature ~ I’m a big believer in seeing green. From leaves and grass to greenbacks! If you can’t position your workspace to provide a view of the outdoors, perhaps you can hang a favorite landscape on the wall in front of you. It’s an instant uplifter.
- Anything Different ~ I’m referring to breaking your patterns. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut or unable to break a daily routine or habit, doing anything different from the norm will automatically cause your brain’s nerve patterns to jump the tracks a bit. Go to an event where you know no one. Take a walk. Sit on a bench to people watch.
- Turn Off Electronics ~ If you just can’t leave your iPhone unattended, this one’s for you. Turn off your phone, email, TV – even your lights! Combine this with a bit of meditation and you’re on the road to a fresh start.
- Exercise ~ If you already have a daily exercise routine, you know the benefits of getting up and out to move. And if that’s not enough, do a different routine today. Run a different route; choose different types of weights to work with; and do whatever freshens up your enthusiasm. If you don’t exercise regularly, start today! Start with a brisk walk. And take the dog!
- Do a Puzzle / Mind Game ~ A few years ago I would have said “No Playstation” or other computer games. But they’ve come a long way in creativity now. Plenty of online games (and offline ones) offer fabulous stimulation to our little gray cells. Puzzles and offline games that use your hands differently will stimulate different muscles and nerves though.
- Play with Kids! ~ Yours or someone else’s – it doesn’t matter! They think and feel differently that we do at this very moment. They do and provide the unexpected. Combine several things at once: Get out into nature, walk to a park, help out an overextended mom at the park trying to keep track of her kids by offering to help her out. (Just don’t come off as a kiddy-napper!)
- Have a Glass of Wine! ~ My favorite, of course. Reward yourself for doing something different today for your brain by giving it a bit of a rest.
If it works for you, try one of those Easter Egg Rolls this weekend. Try some Matzo Ball Soup. Laugh when the Easter Egg dye gets messy in the kitchen instead of getting frustrated. This naturally leads to the famous advertising slogan: Life’s Messy. Clean it Up!
Do you remember whose slogan that is? If it sounds familiar but you can’t place the advertiser, here’s my little lesson of the week: Out of sight, out of mind! Even if we’ve received a jillion impressions from an advertiser about their product, if it isn’t recent, our long-term memory has a hard time retrieving the data. It’s probably in there tucked away, but the little gray cells’ filing system can get messy.
These days we have a fabulous filing system re-freshener: Google. It’s the next best thing to our own little brains.
So get out there this weekend and do something different to recharge your batteries. Then you might actually remember without a little Googlizing that Bissell uses that slogan. Happy Easter!
About the artist: The painting at the top is by Erik Kucera, originally from Slovakia. Read more about him here. His own website is here. I just thought it was cool!
