I admit it, I’ve been working like a dog!
I realized this when I started feeling resentful and grumpy when everyone else in my family was relaxing on the weekends and pursuing enjoyable activities.
So what was I doing on my weekends?
I was cleaning house, working on my website and marketing pieces. There was nothing left of me to help me tap into my creativity, I was out of ideas and ambition.
You see, I had put together an overly ambitious plan for myself and I was back in the mode of thinking I had to do it all myself .
Yes, I’m guilty as charged – I do fall back into that space from time to time and find that I push myself too hard and end up feeling burnt out. I turned to my spiritual guide, mentor & coach the fabulous Dr Lin Morel who told me I was suffering from thinking that my best wasn’t good enough. I realized from my session that my best is good enough and that to be even better I needed to round up those boundaries once again and step away from my work to be better at what I do.
Studies show that when we step away from work we become more creative and productive. Haven’t you noticed how a flood of creative ideas or solutions show up when you are away from your desk?
I’ve written about this very subject before when I wrote about taking time away from work to be more productive. Well it seems that taking time away is also good for both creativity and problem solving according to scientific studies on the brain.
Scientists have identified a part of the brain called the default mode network which becomes active when we are not performing a task. What happens is that your brain gets into this active mode and then it begins performing cognitive processes which are similar to brainstorming.
The Default Mode Network is capable or activating thoughts in your brain that we may not be able to reach through normal logical reasoning so that is why all of those creative thoughts may be flooding your brain when you are doing something totally unrelated to work.
Scientists have found that many times creative thought processes may be stopped when the mind it in task mode say when you get a
writers block. Take that as a cue to step away and do something different or take a complete break from your work.
So you may be wondering what did I do to get myself out of my grumpy overworked mode? I stepped away from my office on Friday afternoon and headed down to the Pike Street Market and smelled the flowers, felt the warm sunlight on my face and tuned into the wonderful sights and smells that make up this area. And when I came home, I felt filled up and energized.
The whole weekend was about being unplugged and not pushing myself to be the best by working on my biz all weekend. I allowed myself some space and it felt wonderful! Today I am ready to step in my office and know that my best is good enough!
What are you doing to tap into YOUR creativity? Leave me a comment, I’d love to know!
