Make Time to Be Creative, Especially If It's in Your "Discomfort Zone"

In this series of posts, professionals reveal their best antidotes to work stress. Read the posts here, and then write your own (use #OutsideWork in the piece).

I just returned home, energized and excited, after attending #MakingMondays, a weekly creative gathering of folks in the theater world who get together to create on the fly. This week, one participant wrote a short play in less than an hour and two others acted it out. Two participants went off and choreographed an entire dance. I wrote a song for Valentine's Day about modern love, titled "Hashtag Destiny," challenging myself to write it within minutes on the fly. There's something that makes you feel very alive when you step into your discomfort zone, embracing and nurturing your inner creativity.

Ah, creativity! One of those things that we're all born with, but then somehow gets beaten out of us somewhere in our formative school years as we learn to pass exams, focus on getting into good colleges, and then set our sights on employment.

But that's a real shame, because I think creativity is one of the most important skill sets that you can bring with you into the business world today. The ability to think on your toes, see things differently, notice something interesting where others see nothing, problem solve in new ways — these are all things that make a terrific employee, a great leader, and a successful entrepreneur.

But you can't just snap your fingers and voila, be creative, after years of thinking one way, being in a routine. Like any muscle, you must continually exercise it and it will get stronger — stop using it, and it will start to atrophy.

Here are a few tips to unleash your creativity, in life and in the workforce:

1) Try to be distraction-free.

Whether it's for 15 minutes or three hours, set aside a time that you are going to focus on a creative endeavor, entirely distraction-free. That means no email, no calls, no tech distractions, no side conversations. You will amaze yourself at how truly creative you can be in a short time, without all the distractions of our overly connected world. The first time you try it, you may even feel nervous. Or indulgent! I try to set aside a time like this at least once a week, if possible. Even a daily commute to work can be a great time to set aside!

2) Try to finish something.

Rather than setting out to write your great American novel or full feature-length screenplay, set your sights on completing something that you can accomplish in the time you've allotted. Maybe that is a sketch, a poem, a photograph, an elevator pitch for a new business idea, a note for your child's lunchbox, a short speech, or toast. Whatever it is, finishing something will give you the confidence to go for a bigger project next time. I find it's better to start small and see something through from start to finish, than to do a little, give up, and have a whole collection of started-but-never-finished projects.

3) Have others hold you accountable.

Once you pick your creative project, tell a few friends or post about it on social media, so people can hold you accountable. Commit to sharing the final project with a few people — not for feedback. The point of this exercise isn't to create something excellent, it's simply to create. Knowing you are going to share your project out loud with other people will motivate you to bring your A-game in the limited time you have, and will give you that extra motivation to finish the project.

4) Steer clear of what you do in your regular job.

Since the point is to be creative, this isn't a time to answer emails or think about your job. This is a time to focus on a project that has been lurking somewhere in the back of your mind, something totally unrelated to your normal work projects, something that you wouldn't normally give yourself permission to focus on for an extended amount of time. Who knows, maybe you'll eventually create something that could become your NEW full-time job!

So have fun and be creative. I'll be standing by, excited to see what you come up with!