Energy Is Your Biggest Barrier To Innovation - How To Be Innovative

The biggest barrier to innovation is energy.

One of the biggest barriers to innovation isn’t your ability. In fact, what we’ve discovered with our proprietary innovation quotient edge assessment and the tens of thousands of people that have taken it, is that everyone innovates. But how we innovate is unique to each of us. So, I know that you’re capable of it. It’s not the resources you do or don’t have access to. If that were the case, only billion-dollar companies would innovate and we know that’s not true at all. In fact, sometimes the lack of resources can lead to the most innovative ideas because you have to. 

Managing your energy level is the key to how to be more innovative at work.

I mean who has the time to be innovative when you have a to-do list longer than your arm, seven meetings already scheduled on your calendar, and one big presentation – right before 5:45 today? So you think, let me just get through my to-do list and then I’ll get to the innovative thinking. But by the time you do that – who has the energy? At that point all you want is a bottle of wine and a couch. Your brain and your body are exhausted and it’s hard to be innovative when your whole being feels totally spent. Totally get it, I’ve been there, you are not alone. In fact every time I keynote, doesn’t matter if the group comes from a fortune 500 company or a startup, the people who come up to me after share with me how they often feel too exhausted to innovate. That sucks and frankly it’s keeping you from living your full potential.

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So I want to share with you a few quick tips to avoid the ‘too exhausted to innovate’ feeling. Now if you already have access to our innovation on-demand membership site – you’ve got even more tools at your fingertips. For those of you new to this, here’s a few tips for you.

1. Shift your mindset.

Everything starts here. Part of the reason you fall into the exhaustion trap is because you wait to innovate. Innovation is a mindset that you should bring to your entire day, not wait to engage in.

When you see innovation as a tool to help you tackle every challenge and opportunity, you’ll begin to work smart not hard. In many ways innovation is a never-ending well spring inside of us. We just have to access it – okay even with the right mindset we all need a little help. Instead of ending your day with innovation start with it. A three-minute innovation booster in the morning and you’ll find that the rest of your day becomes more innovative. First you are priming the innovation pump, greasing the innovation wheels. Once you grease them, they’ll move on their own.

2. You get what you focus on.

So start your day by focusing on innovation. We have a range of innovation boosters on our website on-demand platform and in other videos so go there for more tactics. Even something as simple as doodling, asking three inciting questions, journaling, mocking up ideas will flip your entire day.

Innovation exhaustion can be easily overcome with these simple solutions. Side effects may include uncontrollable aha moments, hallucinating, opportunities everywhere and leaving your desk at a decent hour.

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