As a nursing student, you may want to develop new ways to improve the quality of your work by thinking more creatively. Marketers and business managers aren't the only people whose careers may benefit from a boost in creativity. But changing how you think doesn't happen overnight. Here are some ways to start working on new modes of creative thinking.
Work while you’re tired.
Strange as it may be, tackling your assignments while feeling exhausted might help you come up with better, more creative solutions to your work, according to Inc Magazine.1 Although optimal productivity may occur when you feel most awake and alert, you could find yourself struggling with creativity over time. Some studies have shown that being tired and easily distracted could be a better combination for summoning creative strategies to finishing work.2At that point in time, you might be more receptive to new ideas and pathways to solve existing problems.
Turn off the TV.
Television may be an appealing distraction when you feel stuck on an assignment or project, as explained by Christine Kane, president and founder of Uplevel You.3 At times, it can clog your mind with negative images and overly-simplified problems, which might be better served being filled with the subject you're currently studying. If you feel your attention span begin to wane, consider taking a 20-minute walk outside. On top of being good for you physically, it might help clear your mind of any unnecessary clutter.
Read something strange.
Reading unusual books and articles may help boost your creative thinking skills because it introduces you to fresh ways of thinking and writing. Life Hacker suggested that mentally embracing something absurd could help boost creative thinking.4 Research has shown that the mind is always trying to make sense of the things it sees throughout daily life.5 When it encounters something surreal, the mind shifts into overdrive as it attempts to process what it's seeing or reading. By introducing your mind to absurdist stories and images, you might be able to jumpstart more creative thinking than you've previously had.
Brainstorm odd ideas.
Inc Magazine also explained that sitting down and coming up with lots of unique ideas may create avenues for creativity that you've never experienced.6 One pathway could be listing unusual uses for common objects around your dorm, apartment or house. Give yourself five minutes or so to write down bizarre ways to utilize a knife, paper clip or tin foil. You could also you could try setting time aside to keep a journal of odd ideas.7 Taking 30 minutes each morning to free write whatever flows in your mind might remove any irrelevant thoughts and make space for more creative and unique ideas.
1http://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/6-surprising-ways-to-be-more-creative.html
2http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-best-creative-time-not-when-you-think/
3http://christinekane.com/21-ways-to-be-more-creative/
4http://lifehacker.com/5990617/nine-of-the-best-ways-to-boost-creative-thinking
5http://pss.sagepub.com/content/20/9/1125
6http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/25-ways-to-be-more-creative.html
7http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/25-ways-to-be-more-creative.html