Top 10 Factors that Positively Affect Creativity
Sleep - Conquer the world...after that cup of Joe.
Stimulus - no denying never ending coffee can help in a pinch though it comes with some hefty costs. Other types of stimulus might be music with a beat or coming off a morning workout. And lets not forget the all important breakfast.
Positive Emotion - Is your mood outta wack? So is your right brain. Eat some chocolote. Buy him or her some flowers. Be happy and work happy.
Life Balance - how can you think clearly when you’re worried about filing your taxes in time or if your dog is still OK. Make sure you take time to deal with priorities to free your mind, Neo.
The Zone - we’ve all been there. That perfect moment where you’re completely lost in a creative moment or solving that problem. Time stands still. You may not even notice someone talking to you if you’re far enough into the zone. Often the sum of many of the factors here, the zone becomes it’s own entity and rightly deserves a place on this list due to its importance.
Time of Day - Depending on when your body and mind is naturally the most active, known as your chronometer, can generally be morning or night and can have a big impact on your creative output levels.
Physical Comfort - Hungry? Socks falling down? It's hard to focus if there is something buzzing around like a mosquito literally or figuratively. Get comfortable! Take a 10 minutes break to top off those fluids and hit it again free of bio needs.
Constrained Effort - a wide open brainstorm of creativity day after day can be wearing and feel a bit like a rudderless ship lost in a vast ocean of possibilities. Putting brackets on it will allow the mind to naturally solve the problem without getting lost in its own thought. What if you had to create a new entree at a restaurant? With no limits where do you start? Will it be the correct item? Will it have a market share on your menu? Lots with there. How about instead you try to craft a vegetarian breakfast item that’s under 300 calories, doesn’t infringe on the popular omelettes and french toast menu items and costs the restaurant no more than $3.50 in ingredients? That sounds a little harder, but in practice, creatively speaking, will be a bit easier.
Deadlines - closely related to constrained effort is the all-important deadline. It’s amazing how much the mind will amp up to meet the challenge when a deadline looms. Often thought of as negative, in fact, many deadlines (including those self-imposed) can spur effective work and really creative creativity.