The next time you find yourself wondering: “Why am I not more creative?” or “Where has my creativity gone?” take a hard look at yourself. There’s a good chance that some of your habits are functioning as big old creative blocks.
So before you rush off on another renewal retreat, read through this list of creativity-crushing habits and see if any of them sound familiar!
Creativity Doesn’t Do Well Under Pressure
You are busy. I am busy. Life is busy! It seems like everyone’s life is overflowing with things that need to be done. Schedules are overflowing, inboxes are overflowing, days are overflowing, brains are overflowing… We are SO BUSY that prioritizing the important things gets thrown out the window in the overwhelming rush of things that need to be done. And do you know what one of the first things to suffer is when we get SO BUSY? Our creativity.
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When life gets crazy, creativity suffers. It becomes stagnant. It doesn’t FLOW the way it should.
Creativity helps us function, it helps us heal deep wounds and solve problems and turn ideas into reality. So when your creativity is blocked, it becomes harder to deal with whatever life is throwing at you! It’s a vicious cycle.
Some of the habits we have developed to manage this madness drain our creativity. They sap our energy and make it harder for us to accomplish our goals.
When you become aware of these energy drains, you can change your behavior and reestablish a thriving connection with your creative fire.
These are the 5 top creativity killing habits
Feeding Your Body Crap
Look at what you are putting into your body on a daily basis. These are the things that are keeping you going and helping you cope with normal life stress.
This includes anything that you ingest: processed or junk foods, sugar, caffeine, drugs, alcohol, etc.
Are they nourishing and supporting you? Or is your body starving for nutrition?
You cannot access your deepest and most creative source when your body is just surviving, not thriving.
Binging on Social Media
Look – social media is an important part nowadays of how we connect with others and cultivate relationships – personally and professionally. But it can also be a huge energy drain!
You only have so much energy and you should be aware of where it is going. Spending hours scrolling on social media takes away from your open creative flow.
It’s math, k?
Overworking
It’s very easy to overdo it and get burnt out! There is a lot of external push to “be productive” and it pretty much always leads to overworking yourself. We push ourselves to the limit. And we are encouraged to push ourselves.
But then – inevitably – our energy drags and we feel exhausted.
No one is going to establish boundaries for you. You need to defend your right to live beyond work. Set limits on how much you work.
Be consistent and firm, outsource where you can, get help, (even let things slide!) – whatever you need to do to maintain your sanity.
Doing the Wrong Work
The fastest way to destroy your creative energy is to spend all of your energy on the wrong work. When you spend too much time on things that are not meaningful to you, you start to stagnate. And stagnation means:
- No movement
- No exploration
- No creativity
Delegate and outsource when you can, and do your darndest to avoid those energy-sapping tasks. Creativity blossoms when you are naturally engaged and motivated.
Taking the Easy Route
When you are confronted with a problem, don’t settle for the first solution that you come up with. Take the time to explore different possible ideas.
Is there something better? Easier? More efficient?
Take a step back and relax. Go do something else! Give your subconscious a chance to do its thing.
Creativity blossoms in freedom. Give yourself a chance to be surprising and come up with a marvelous fix. You may blow your own mind.
In Conclusion
Creativity needs space to flourish. Becoming aware of and working to change your habits that are working as creative blocks can throw open the doors to your creative flow and revolutionize the way that you tap into your creative flow. Free the energy, time, and mental awareness you need to be open to new avenues of thought and vats of creative energy!
What habits do you have that you know are blocking your creativity, and you can’t quite seem to shake? Share in the comments below!