Wouldn’t you love to be consistently creative? It’s great when our friends and family support us and think we can do anything as long as it involves words, and a keyboard or pen.
The truth, though, is that we all get stuck from time to time.
Creativity is fickle.
Getting past the stuck places can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be.
Here are seven techniques I use to boost my creativity and get out of a creative funk. I’m sure they’ll help you too!
After the first one, they’re in no particular order except for number seven, which is best used as a last resort.

Method 1: Keep Your Brain Full

The first step in generating an idea is to stuff your brain, and keep it full.
Feed your brain with everything: random stuff that has no real purpose or goal, as well as input related to your current project.
You can find input in a wide variety of places including books, blogs, images and music. Movies, television and videos are other great sources of material to feed your brain.
The most important part of this step is focusing on what you’re putting into your brain, not what you’re hoping to get from it. The output often bears very little relationship to the input.
When you stuff your brain as full as possible of really good stuff, you’ll get good stuff back out without even trying.
Mary Jaksch highlights the importance of focusing on input rather than output in - Refuel Your Creativity.

Method 2: Keep a Wheel Book

The term “wheel book” comes from Henriette Anne Klauser’s book Write it Down, Make It Happen. “Wheel book” feels much more adventurous than “ubiquitous capture device,” which comes from David Allen’s Getting Things Done.
Whatever you call it, you need a place where you jot things down, whether it’s a notebook, a voice recorder or a smartphone.
There are four rules for wheel books:

1. Choose a wheel book that you love and will use.
2. Keep your wheel book with you at all times.
3. Capture everything in your wheel book.
4. Review your wheel book regularly.

Of course “capture everything” doesn’t mean literally everything.
A good method is to write down ideas, questions, reminders and things that make you think, smile, laugh or frown. Fortunately for me, I use an electronic wheel book, because a lot of things make me go “hunh?!” and I’d need a new notebook every Monday.
Look at your notes at least once a week. Look through them when you’re stuck and need a spark of inspiration.
Even a small spark will do. You can fan even the tiniest spark into a creative flame, if it is a good spark.

Method 3: Create More Downtime

During a rare lunch with a friend yesterday, I had a mini-epiphany.
I feel better after an actual lunch break away from my desk, than when I “take a lunch break” on the couch but work the entire time.
I’m amazed by this downtime thing and I’m going to try it again someday soon.
Time away from your creative work—to rest your body and your mind—matters. Pushing to exhaustion only leads to poor writing and poor health.
I’m committing to real downtime every day. I encourage you to do the same.
How should you spend your downtime?
Resting and relaxing are great downtime pursuits. You might enjoy solving puzzles or making things. Perhaps you would enjoy getting out and spending time in nature. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are 21 Unexpected Places to Find Your Muse. Why not use a couple of ideas this week?

Method 4: Be Still

This method is about stilling your mind.
Fortunately for me, it doesn’t always require a still body.
If you meditate or would enjoy meditation, that’s an excellent way of being still, but there are other ways.
My favorite ways to still my mind are writing and photography. I’m convinced I could take photos of ham sandwiches for half an hour at a stretch, or write half a book without pause, and feel as refreshed as if I’d slept eight hours.
Whether your stillness involves sitting, walking or activity, do something that makes your brain go “aaaaah.”
Not the “stick-out-your-tongue-so-the-doctor-can-look-down-your-throat” aaaaah, but the “I-just-sat-down-in-a-hot-tub-with-a-glass-of-wine-and-a-plate-of-chocolate” aaaaah.
If your brain loves sitting meditations, sit. If it loves rock climbing and hang gliding, climb and fly.
Your brain needs time to work in the background when it’s not expected to do much else. That’s why we get ideas in the shower.
So be still.

Method 5: Add More Nonsense to Your Life

You probably know that as a writer, you need an imagination and a few other things.
While a modicum of talent is handy, time, training and practice are essential.
Another ingredient also trumps talent: Nonsense.
Writing is serious work. Even writing funny words is serious work.
Nonsense lets your brain relax and take a little bath in silliness to wash away the stress and be refreshed.
When you find yourself stuck or stalled, take a moment to indulge in a little nonsense. If your office happens to not have talking guinea pigs (as mine does), spend some time on social media, or call up your favorite silly person and talk about nothing for five minutes.

Method 6: Relax

Tension creates more creative holes and ruts than anything else, and we need to find a way to periodically release this tension.
When I grow frustrated with my writing, I take a moment to listen to my body and assess my environment.
I roll my shoulders and neck a few times to get the stiffness out, sit up straight on my chair and pull it forward so I don’t slouch. I also shut down my email and turn on some music.
I call this relaxing in place, as opposed to stretching out on the couch with my feet up and a book in my hands.
Relaxing in place means simply taking a moment to make the necessary adjustments in your environment and your body, to let the tension flow away.
This is not a substitute for downtime and crashing on the couch with a book.
That kind of relaxation isn’t a substitute for on-the-fly relaxation in place, either.
You need both to keep your creative brain functioning at its best.

Method 7: Be Creative Anyway

Eleanor Roosevelt spoke my favorite words about creative ruts. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
When I feel that I don’t have a single creative idea in my head and probably never will again, and that work just isn’t happening for me today, I try the techniques I’ve listed above.
Most days one of these techniques, or five or six, will ease me back into creative flow.
If they don’t, I take the nuclear option.
Here’s how you do it.
Start writing.
If you’re working on something, review the previous section and start from there. If you’ve finished your previous project, copy the last two paragraphs into a new document, review them and delete all but the first sentence of that passage. Start writing as if you are writing these paragraphs from the start.
Start with a goal of writing 100 words. When you reach 99 words, and you will, stretch your goal to 200 words.
Keep pushing yourself forward until you feel you can keep going without pushing. If you reach your average daily word count, that’s great. If not, that’s great, too. The point of the exercise is to write anyway, and not let your brain lock up.
This technique always works.
I can count on one hand, without my thumb or one of my fingers, how many times, in 25 years as a professional writer, I’ve used this technique and not found my creativity click into place.

Grab Your New Toolbox and Start Creating

You now have a set of techniques to boost your creativity and get past the stuck places in your writing and your creative life.
Some of the ideas are simple, while others may feel like a stretch. The last one probably feels more like a medieval torture rack than a “stretch.”
Whether a particular technique seems too simple to work, or too much trouble to try, give all of them a try anyway.
I use these tools because they work. And that’s why I’m recommending them to you.
Which of these tools are you the most excited about? Let me know in the comments.






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One week you’re dead set on cooking for a living, the next you want to be a librarian.
The problem isn’t coming up with something you might want to do for a living, it’s committing to it. And the indecision is driving you crazy.
It’s not like you haven’t tried to nail it down. You’ve taken personality tests, read books on risk-taking, and completed countless personal development exercises.
And for a moment, you think you’ve figured it out. But only for a moment.
Then the doubt creeps in and you find yourself back at square one again. Are you really good at creating new recipes? Do you really have a passion for the Dewey decimal system or are you just an avid reader?
And then there’s the coup de grace, the voice in your head that says even if you knew what you wanted to do with your life, no one would hire you anyway.
Sigh. Better to just give up on the dream of meaningful work and make the best of what you have, right?
I see this quite often among my No Regrets clients, so if this sounds like you, know that you definitely aren’t alone. In my experience, the problem isn’t that you’re wishy-washy. The problem is that you’re suffering from one of three hidden psychological barriers.

Barrier #1: You don’t have enough information

Maria had tried so many unfulfilling jobs, she was burnt out. Knowing that she liked to help people, and needing a dose of peace and contentment herself, she thought a job as a spa therapist would be a perfect fit.
She quit after a single day.
“It is barely glamorized slave labor,” she told me.
It’s easy to romanticize a career and imagine what it will be like. You see the job from the perspective of a customer and think you understand what the job entails.
On the other hand, Maria’s experience in the job was also limited to a particular establishment. For example, I know someone who created a beauty salon and spa in her house. She loves the work and it’s a truly unique experience for her clients too.
In another case, Colin came to me because he really wanted to open his own theater, but his wife was reluctant to agree because it would mean a significant drop in their standard of living.
I asked him how many theater owners he had surveyed and how much they made. It turned out he had never talked to one. Ideally, he’d talk to both those making more and less than he was hoping for, so he could start to get a sense of what made the difference and whether he was capable of performing to that standard.
I happened to have a friend who made quite a decent living at it. It was a single data point, but it was step in the right direction. His own network could probably yield several more.
It’s essential you gather enough information on potential careers to make an informed decision. This means getting real data, either through a test-drive or through interviews with people who have done what you want to do. Day-dreaming or relying on media representations of a career is not enough.

Barrier #2: You have conflicting visions of who you are

A big part of choosing a new career is making decisions about what you like and who you are. And while it seems like these should be the easiest questions of all to answer, they often aren’t.
For one thing, you may be trying to answer questions for which you have no reference answers. That can be unsettling because our education system teaches us that there are right answers and wrong answers, and the right answers are those that have been externally validated (i.e. we don’t necessarily decide what’s right).
For example, my husband is fascinated by sailing stories filled with adventure. He admires sailors who sail around the world or participate in high stakes races. But if you ask him about his own happiest memories, they are nearly always quiet times with the family at home or drinking coffee at the local cafe.
For myself, I keep saying I want to be a writer, then I fall back in love with growing my business. I don’t think it has to be an either/or choice, but I’m forcing myself to acknowledge that writing may never become the highlight of my career the way I thought it would. And that’s okay.
The old saying “actions speak louder than words” is relevant here. For anything you’re feeling conflicted about, you should ask yourself, “What have I done to demonstrate this belief? Are my actions consistent or are they mostly what I would do, if only I had X?”
In my husband’s case, he always said he would do a lot more sailing, if only he didn’t have a job. So, he’s taking a year off of work to test that idea. I’m giving myself several months to exclusively focus on my business–while paying attention to how it feels not writing.
And if our dreams don’t turn out to be the career passions we imagined? We can keep them as a fun hobbies or side activities, and then move on to something else without second-guessing ourselves.
Defining yourself in this way can be scary, but it’s a lot better than always wondering “What if?”

Barrier #3: You’re afraid to close doors

This manifests itself in a couple of different ways.
The first is a fear that if you quit your job to pursue something else, and it doesn’t work out, the door is closed to ever returning to your previous job. Who says? I have a number of clients who tried out a new career, decided they were being too hard on their old job, and negotiated a return (usually with better benefits, not worse).
For example, one client moved to another state in order to get a graduate degree in public administration. Unfortunately, while in school she discovered she wasn’t all that interested in her post-graduate opportunities. We not only found a way for her to get her old job back, but they hired her as a virtual employee so she wouldn’t have to move again.
Chances are, if you’re missing your old workplace, they’re probably missing you too.
The other case where a fear of closing doors pops up is for those who love so many different things, they see choosing a career as a kind of rejection of the other possibilities. Such people are frequently called scanners or multi-potentialites.
One such client of mine, Andrew, felt a constant sense of dissatisfaction that he hadn’t found the right career. He struggled to choose a new direction, despite a long list of interesting options, because “it meant letting go of the imagined life each one could bring.”
When he forced himself to roughly prioritize his passions and committed to testing his ideas out, he found a career that allowed him to group three of his passions together. More importantly, he finally enjoyed what he was doing instead of always thinking about what he wasn’t.
It’s important to note that there are instances where closing doors is fairly easy. For example, when you get married, you presumably close the door on other relationships as well as a host of experiences and opportunities that are incompatible with the priorities of your marriage. Many of us not only close those doors willingly, but want to do so as early as possible.
Which suggests that something else is really at play when it comes to indecision…

Are you afraid of embracing your true self?

Speaking for myself, I know the reason I was so eager to get married the first time, even to someone who killed my cat, was that it represented something about me, not just to me. My father used to tell me I was incapable of real love. I was desperate to shed that image and prove him wrong.
Maria wasn’t just seeking peace, she needed to see herself as a peaceful person, someone capable of experiencing it in addition to providing it.
My husband wants to believe he is adventurous and a risk-taker. I want to believe I’m the next Malcolm Gladwell. Chances are, we’ve bundled our self-image into our passions.
Andrew realized it was his daydreams that were holding him back, not his realities.
I’ve listed three sources of our indecision, and that explains things at one level. But we can go a little deeper, can’t we?
Our indecision looks like a rational weighing of options. At its roots, however, we are often afraid that who we are and what we want is not enough.
The question is: enough for whom?
It’s your life, after all. What if you decided to live it as bravely and honestly as you can?
Then every decision becomes easier, because you know it’s one you can live with.





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Building a system for managing the input sources

1. Task List 0: Creating an effective list of your tasks that you actually accomplish every day (or at least make progress on)
2. Inbox 0: Processing your e-mails and making the inbox empty
3. Tab 0: Processing all open tabs to zero
4. Input 0: Processing all your notes so that every idea, thought or task is handled and scheduled properly
5. Work desk 0: Cleaning your desk after you have stopped working

Task List 0

1. I don’t overstuff it.

2. I make it closed.

3. I break the icebergs.

4. I get the momentum going.

5. I’m specific.

6. I include any important reference information.

7. I batch work.

8. I use themes.

Inbox 0

• Checking e-mail three times per day (you can decide those times at least don’t start your day with your inbox)
• Process all the messages at once (with one touch if possible)

1. I have activated the Send and Archive button in Gmail (puts the processed messages into archive).
2. When I open the inbox, I scan the headlines and unsubscribe from the e-mail lists that don’t interest me anymore (you can also use a tool to make this easier).
3. If the e-mail was sent by a service, log-in immediately to the service and change its settings so that no new notifications come in.
4. I archive/delete the messages with headlines that aren’t of any interest to me.
5. Once I have a “real” message that contains an assignment, I put a note about it to my task list. Also, I add the URL of the e-mail message as reference in the description field (if your task list software supports this), in order to access the e-mail later. After this, I archive the message.
6. If I encounter a message that I can’t reply to right away, I put a note to my task list, add a link to the message in the notes field and define a time when I’m going to reply to the message.

Tab 0

1. Ask why.

2. Understand the purpose.

• Is your tab open because you are doing research?
• Is it because you want to read the post later on?
• Is it because it contains a tutorial you are going to implement soon?
• Is it because you want to access on online training resource late on?

Input 0

• Your mobile phone
• Your paper-based notes on your desk
• Your “distraction list”
• All the regular mail that you haven’t processed yet
• Meeting notes

Work desk 0

• All the unnecessary papers are thrown into the trash, shredded or recycled
• All the research material is put where it belongs
• All the office supplies are put back in place
• The desk looks neat when you stop working for the day

Making The 5 Zeros Stick

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Growing up is hard enough. Why make it harder on purpose?

What actually happens when you feed the lies?

9 Lies Your Mind Loves to Tell You

1. She/he can do that because ______ but I can’t do that.

2. I need ______ in order to do _____.

3. I don’t feel like it.

4. I am too old / too broke / too ______ to change.

5. It’s easy for you to say.

6. I should or should not ______

7. That’s not fair. Life isn’t fair.

8. Nobody understands me. I am all alone

9. It’s not my fault. It’s theirs.

Your turn? What’s the worst lie you believe?

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 What Is Peace of Mind

• Watching an entertaining movie or TV program.
• Being in the company of someone you love.
• Being absorbed in reading a book.
• Lying on the sand at the beach.
• On vacation, when you experience some sort of mental numbness, forgetting your work and day-to-day-life.
• In deep asleep, when you are not aware of anything.

Tips and Advice for Peace of Mind

1. Minimize the time you spend on reading newspapers or watching the news on TV. Since most of the news are negative news, and you cannot do anything about them, why should you think about them and feel stressed and anxious?
2. Stay away from negative conversations and from negative people. You don't want their thoughts and words to sink into your subconscious mind and affect your moods and state of mind.
3. Don't hold grudges. Learn to forget and forgive. Nurturing ill feelings and grievances hurts you and causes lack of sleep.
4. Don't be jealous of others. Jealousy means that you have low self-esteem, and therefore, consider yourself inferior to others. Jealousy and low self esteem, often, lead to lack of peace of mind.
5. Accept what cannot be changed. This saves a lot of time, energy and worries. Every day, we face numerous inconveniences, irritations and situations that are beyond our control. If we can change them, that's fine, but this is not always possible. We must learn to put up with such things and accept them cheerfully.
6. Don't dwell on the past. The past is not here anymore, so why think about it? Let bygones be gone. Forget the past and focus on the present moment. There is no need to evoke unpleasant memories and get immersed in them.
7. Learn to be more patient and tolerant with family, friends, co-workers, employees, and everyone else.
8. Don't take everything too personally. A certain degree of emotional and mental detachment is very helpful. On many occasions, it would be useful to inject a certain measure of detachment and non involvement. This would bring into your life more peace, harmony and common sense.
9. Learn to focus your mind. When you can focus your mind, you can more easily reject worries and anxieties, refuse to think negative thoughts, and reduce the constant chatter of your mind.
10. Meditation is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you have the time, and are willing to try it, even just a few minutes a day will make a difference in your life. You will become more peaceful, relaxed and happy.