Have you ever wondered how some people seem almost effortlessly to crank out an ungodly amount of creative work, and others… struggle to get barely 5% of that going out? No one says that it shouldn’t take a drastic change to make a huge impact.
I’m not always prolific. It’s been up and down. I wasn’t always productive, and I’d often go weeks sulking and watching mindless shows on TV. These tips turned my creative life — and my productivity — around, and they will for you, too.
If you can master these fifteen skills, your productivity will skyrocket:
1. Stop looking for focus
It’s overwhelming. All you need to create is momentum. This means getting yourself into motion.
As cited by the American Psychological Association, the key to productivity is fewer interruptions, but that can be unrealistic for most adults. When balancing it all, the endless list of obligations makes it challenging to maintain an attention span on one thing long enough to complete the task.
2. Be relentlessly intolerant of negative and doubtful thoughts
Thoughts needn’t be obeyed or trusted. They can nag away, but you don’t need to listen. You can just get back to work like a badass work warrior — and when you do, those thoughts fade.
Negative self-talk is consistently linked to a range of negative consequences, including increased stress, anxiety, depression, decreased self-esteem, and impaired cognitive performance. According to a 2021 study, the more frequently someone engages in negative self-talk, the more likely they will experience detrimental effects on their mental and emotional well-being.
3. Create a ton at first
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Most people are deathly avoidant of doing work because it looks too much like hustle and strikes them as a waste of time. But you see things differently. You’ve chosen the thing you can both enjoy and make money from and now you’re all in on that thing.
Fall in love with ten X and volume. Picasso made like 50,000 paintings and sculptures for heaven’s sake. Be like Picasso and fall in love with producing ridiculous amounts of stuff.
This also takes the pressure out of trying to make any one piece brilliant. Create, then move on. There’s a thousand more pieces left.
Passion and purpose have a significant positive impact on motivation, with individuals who feel passionate about their work and have a clear sense of purpose demonstrating higher levels of drive, engagement, and performance than those lacking either element. Essentially, aligning passion with purpose leads to the most impactful motivation, according to a 2022 study by Frontiers in Psychology.
4. Stop complaining
According to research published in 2015 in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, complaining can make you feel worse, prolonging the negative emotions associated with the event. “Discussing events immediately during or after they occur forces the brain to re-live or ‘rehearse’ the negative emotional response,” the researchers write. “This creates a stronger association in memory, exaggerating the influence of the emotional episode.”
5. Go for long, unadulterated walks without music every single day
Take in life’s rich beauty. Make this a non-negotiable session to set your health right and tidy up your confused brain. What, never heard of Charles Dickens and his insane five-hour daily London treks? Non-confused brain equals a happy, creative brain.
6. Create a safe space for mistake-making when you work
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If you’re hesitant, you’ll hate the creative process. Don’t be the guy with a negative attitude when you’re working.
Research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that having your personalized workspace can significantly improve productivity by increasing feelings of control, comfort, and satisfaction, leading to better focus and motivation, especially when individuals can customize their environment with personal items like plants or photos. Studies have shown that employees with more control over their workspace tend to be more productive and engaged.
7. Tie your output to a public arena
Have expectant people waiting on your work. This means building in public. Creating videos and content about your work. Be held accountable by others so you’re more driven to create more.
8. Fall in love with your craft
See your work as a craft to master rather than a means to an end. You must learn to love learning more about the finer details to become the best in the world at what you do. This will motivate you like little else.
2010 research indicated that the act of creating, whether through art, writing, crafting, or other forms of expression, can offer a range of benefits, including improved mental well-being, increased self-esteem, stress reduction, cognitive enhancement, and even potential physical health improvements. Studies highlight the positive impacts on mood, anxiety levels, and overall quality of life when engaging in creative activities.
9. Spend plenty of time poring over stuff other people have created in your field
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No idea is truly original. You must consume to feed ongoing and fresh creations.
10. Find a way to have fun with everything you commit to
Often, this will be found through simply taking a step and getting started without overthinking it. Research published in 2022 shows that having fun can positively impact motivation in several ways, including enhancing creativity, improving mood, promoting goal pursuit, and improving resilience.
11. Use music, dancing, and getting physically loose as creative allies
Being goofy and shaking our hips to some wild beats will awaken the sleeping crazy in all of us. This is good for creativity.
12. Regularly reflect on your dark side
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Your darkness lurks, dying to come out and cause a ruckus. What are you doing that might be polarizing? Don’t be a wimp. Go there.
Embracing negative feelings can improve creativity and, by extension, productivity by promoting deeper analysis, critical thinking, and perseverance, which can lead to more refined and innovative solutions to problems, mainly when the negative emotion is channeled constructively and not overwhelming. 2022 research found that a mild negative mood can push individuals to work harder and think more critically to overcome challenges, resulting in higher-quality output.
13. Become a brainstorming buccaneer
Write down ten ideas for solutions to problems every day. Over time, your noggin will be swimming with ideas, many of which you can fling together to birth new ideas. Ideas are like fuel for a prolific creative set-up.
Research by the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology indicates that brainstorming can positively affect motivation by stimulating a sense of creativity, encouraging participation, and providing exposure to diverse perspectives, leading to increased engagement and a desire to contribute further to the idea-generation process. Essentially, seeing others generate ideas can act as a motivator to produce your novel thoughts.
14. Tap into the part of you that loves to get obsessive
Most people steer clear of obsession. But there’s healthy obsession, and this is a vibe you can ride like a way. Find something that interests you that you can develop a long-term obsession for.
15. Before you can create big, start small
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This might be something you need to repeat every day. What’s the first small step to get the ball rolling? Remember, folks — momentum will give you that unfair advantage. Create it.
Creating art can provide various mental health benefits, including stress reduction, improved mood, increased self-esteem, better cognitive function, and a potential aid in processing emotions, mainly when used as a form of self-expression. 2019 research showed that even short periods of art-making can significantly lower cortisol levels and boost dopamine in the brain.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.
