Creativity is not the monopoly of musicians and artists alone. Each one of us has creative potential waiting to be tapped. The ability to think differently, make unexpected connections, and develop new ideas is a skill that can be designed with the right attitude. I have researched and tried out different methods of developing creative thinking for many years. I’ve found that enhancing creativity is not about waiting for inspiration to strike—it’s about creating the right conditions for breakthrough ideas to occur. In this post, I’ll share practical strategies that have helped many creative thinkers, myself included, generate fresh ideas and innovative solutions consistently.
Have Confidence
If you don’t have faith in yourself, you won’t be willing to share ideas or even think them up. Faith in your creative skills is required for creative output to be meaningful.
Steve Jobs said that creativity is just making connections. Taking the nerve to make those connections, though they are weird or risky, separates great thinkers from average thinkers. Start by acknowledging that your perspective is unique and is worth something. Nobody else has had your exact life or looked at the world from your specific eyes.
I recommend starting a “wins journal” where you track your creative wins, however small. This record can be looked back at when self-doubt strikes. Another helpful practice is to trade your creative work with encouraging people regularly. Praise and endorsement from and by them will eventually boost your confidence.
Practice
Maya Angelou didn’t become a literary legend overnight. She worked hard to develop her skills and dedicated time to her craft. The same applies to cultivating your creative thinking.
Carve out a daily chunk of time to be creative. It doesn’t have to be large—maybe doodling in colored pencils, writing short stories, or brainstorming solutions for a common complaint. The thing is to stick with it daily. Research states that regular creativity practice builds paths in the brain so that thinking creatively becomes increasingly available over the years.
Try to challenge yourself with some imaginative exercises. For example, select an arbitrary object and brainstorm ten weird uses. Or describe a typical experience from a completely different perspective. These exercises challenge your thought processes and build up your creative muscles.
Collaborate With Others
Even the myth of the solitary genius breaks down when you examine history closely. Collaboration brings together diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge bases that spark creative solutions that no individual could develop alone.
Working with others enhances creativity by exposing you to different thinking processes. Someone else’s approach might be the missing piece that makes your idea extraordinary. Their questions might reveal blind spots in your thinking. Their support might give you the courage to push an idea further than you would alone.
I’ve found that the most productive creative collaborations happen when people feel safe to share half-formed ideas without fear of judgment. Create this environment by starting collaborations with clear ground rules: all ideas are welcome, criticism should be constructive, and the goal is to build on each other’s thinking.
Listen to Positive Music
Research has consistently shown that the right soundtrack can significantly impact creative thinking. Positive music—upbeat, joyful compositions—can elevate mood and enhance cognitive flexibility.
In my creative process, I’ve noticed that different music serves different creative purposes. Classical or instrumental music works best when I need to focus on complex problems. Upbeat, familiar songs help fuel brainstorming sessions when I need energy and positive emotions. The key is being intentional about your musical choices rather than treating them as background noise.
Create playlists specifically designed for different types of creative work. Experiment to discover what works best for you. Some people find lyrics distracting during specific creative tasks, while others draw inspiration from powerful songwriting. Your perfect creative soundtrack might be completely different from someone else’s.
Support a Growth Mindset
A fixed mindset—believing creative abilities are static traits—limits growth. A growth mindset—believing creative skills can develop through dedication and work—opens possibilities for continuous improvement.
Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s research demonstrates how mindset influences achievement across domains, including creativity. Those with growth mindsets take on challenges more readily, persist through setbacks, and ultimately reach higher levels of achievement. They see failure not as evidence of lacking talent but as a necessary part of learning.
I encourage you to develop a growth mindset by changing your internal dialogue. Replace “I’m not creative” with “I’m developing my creativity.” Focus on the process rather than the immediate results. Celebrate progress and effort rather than just successful outcomes. This shift in thinking creates the psychological foundation for enhanced creativity.
Brainstorm
Effective brainstorming produces many ideas, giving you more options to refine into innovative solutions. The process works by temporarily suspending judgment, allowing your mind to make unexpected connections and explore alternative ideas that might initially seem impractical.
Establish clear guidelines for good brainstorming. Define the problem you’re solving or the creative problem you’re addressing. Impose a time limit—I do 25-minute sessions. Employ a method for capturing ideas quickly, such as writing, recording, or using software for that purpose. Most importantly, separate the generation phase from the evaluation phase.
Members of the Forbes Coaches Council recommend several brainstorming techniques that have proven effective. Mind mapping starts with a central concept and branches outward with related ideas. Random word association introduces unrelated concepts to trigger new connections. Role-playing approaches problems from different perspectives. Experiment with these techniques to discover which works best for your thinking process.
Take Breaks
Your brain needs periods of rest and aimless activity to process information and make unexpected connections. Taking breaks isn’t procrastination—it’s an essential part of the creative process. Research on creativity highlights the importance of what scientists call the “default mode network”—brain regions that activate when you’re not focused on a specific task. This network plays a crucial role in making novel connections between existing ideas, which is the essence of creativity. Activities like walking, showering, or gazing out a window allow this network to operate.
I recommend implementing a work rhythm that includes regular breaks. The Pomodoro Technique—25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break—works well for many creative professionals. Physical activity during breaks is particularly valuable as it increases blood flow to the brain and triggers the release of creativity-enhancing neurochemicals.
Set Task Limits
When faced with unlimited options, the human mind tends to fall back on familiar patterns. Thoughtful limitations force innovative thinking and creative problem-solving.
Consider how constraint drives innovation in the real world. Twitter’s character limit led to entirely new forms of concise expression. Financial constraints force entrepreneurs to develop creative business models. Time constraints in hackathons produce remarkable innovations in just 24-48 hours.
Implement productive constraints in your creative process. Give yourself less time than seems reasonable to complete a task. Limit your resources or tools. Set challenging parameters for your next project. You’ll likely discover that these limitations push you toward simple solutions and original ideas you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
Sleep On It
During sleep, your brain processes information differently than when awake, often making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. This unconscious processing frequently leads to creative breakthroughs.
Research on sleep and creativity shows that REM sleep boosts creative problem-solving. This explains why solutions sometimes appear suddenly upon waking or even in dreams. The famous discovery of the structure of benzene came to scientist August Kekulé in a dream about a snake eating its tail.
Incorporate this knowledge into your creative process by identifying problems before sleep. Spend time thinking about a creative challenge before bed, clearly defining what you’re trying to solve or create. Keep a notebook nearby to capture any insights that come upon waking. This technique harnesses your brain’s natural problem-solving abilities during rest.
Conclusion
Developing greater creativity is not a miracle or the exclusive purview of a few talented people. It’s a practical process of building habits and creating the right conditions for productive thinking. Believing in your unique perspective, daily practice, collaboration with diverse thinkers, and building a growth mindset all contribute to higher creative potential. Strategies like strategic brainstorming, resting with restorative breaks, creating productive constraints, and harnessing the problem-solving power of sleep provide a comprehensive toolkit for your creative journey. The best creative thinkers aren’t necessarily more talented—they’re more intentional about developing their creative thinking skills.
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FAQs
You may notice improvements in a few weeks with consistent practice, but developing creativity is an ongoing journey rather than a destination.
Yes, through assessments of divergent thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the originality of produced work.
While genetic factors may play a role, research strongly indicates that creative thinking skills can be developed regardless of natural inclination.
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, reduces stress, and promotes the growth of new neural connections, all contributing to enhanced creative thinking.
It can do both—digital tools provide new creative possibilities, but constant connectivity interrupts the deep focus for innovative thinking.
