Sometimes when I’m working on a creative project, I’m not feeling it. My brain is foggy, or I feel tired. Either way, creativity is stumped and so is the project. When this happens I have found a number of ways to kick start innovative thought and get the ideas flowing again.

1. Ask a kid. Any kid will do. They see things we don’t see because we are usually overthinking it.
2. Reframe the problem so anyone could understand it. Sometimes boiling things down to its simplest form helps to clarify.
3. Ask yourself, if I were a business startup, how would I approach this differently?
4. Figure out the why. “Because we have always done it that way” is a bad answer.
5. Learn something new. Just the process of learning jump starts the brain.
6. Brainstorm alone or in a group.
7. Mindmap the project. Seeing it in a visual way can help you gain perspective.
8. Read or listen to a book. Also known as “stepping away” from the project to clear my head.
9. Do the opposite of the expected. Often approaching things in reverse, help me realize what I’m missing.
10. Be open to the possibilities. Sometimes my own bias is the problem and I need to open my mind to something new.
11. Maintain some margin in your schedule. Being overwelmed is a creativity killer.
12. Change environments. Sometimes just working from a coffee shop or on the back porch helps give me a new perspective.
13. Study another industry for ideas you can adapt. The ideas are limitless this way.
14. Aim for quantity, not quality. Being overly critical of every thought will stifle creativity. Let the ideas flow without criticism and figure out if they make sense later.
15. If all else fails, take a shower. Not joking. This works.