Want a short term boost to your creativity, while you get a snack at the same time?

In the video above, I show you my simple trick (backed by science) on how to change your everyday habits to make you instantly more creative.

It is based on research by Dr. Simone Ritter, which shows that when the brain notices unexpected events, it instantly becomes more creative and better able to come up with original new ideas.

In essence, variety sparks and encourages creativity

This is because your brain does not like to think more than it needs to. So it prefers to recognise patterns and spend most of its time on autopilot.

We become creatures of habit and develop comfortable routines that require as little mental energy as possible.

And in today’s office environment, where we have similar tasks to do every day, it becomes more and more easy and seductive for the brain to just do what we did yesterday…

….and the day before that….

….and the day before that….

How to use a vending machine to spark creativity

So how do I use a vending machine?

It’s simple.

I have committed that every time I use the machine, to force myself to make a random choice.

A different choice to what I did the previous day, but also not based on a routine.

So in the video above, I show you how every morning, I choose a different button combination to get my Coca Cola.

The outcome may be the same, but the journey there was slightly different.

It may seem like a little thing, but at a psychological level, it accomplishes two things:

  1. It gives me the short term boost to creativity which Dr. Ritter’s research uncovered
  2. It puts me in a mindset that making unexpected choices is a positive thing. This makes me more open and willing to try creative things throughout the rest of my day as well.

Now as you can probably guess, a vending machine isn’t the only way you can get out of your routine and spark your creativity each day.

You could make a commitment with yourself to:

  • Go a different route to work
  • Get lunch from a different place
  • Go to the bathroom on a different floor
  • Sit with different people
  • Use a different greeting when answering the phone

Like with my vending machine example, the outcomes are all the same, but you have given yourself permission to try a different way of getting there.

Now I’m interested in you.

How do you try to bring variety and unexpected experiences into your day-to-day?

Let me know in the comments below. And if you liked this short tip, please share it, that would make my day.

Did you know that scientific evidence shows your creativity decreases over time

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Nick Skillicorn

Chief Editor, Founder & CEO at Improvides Innovation Consulting
Creativity & Innovation expert: I help individuals and companies build their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you can develop the next breakthrough idea which customers love. Chief Editor of Ideatovalue.com and Founder / CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Author / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the most influential innovation bloggers.