We all want to be innovative and think up new and better ways to improve and get things done at work and at home, but maybe you don’t feel like you’re wired to do so. That’s okay. The truth is that anyoone can learn to develop a more innovative mindset.
Here are a few ways that you can too:
- Become more curious. Learn to question everything- the route you take to work, the way that you organize your house, the methods you use for tackling projects at work. When you begin cultivating your curiosity, you naturally begin to stumble upon more innovative practices.
- Reach out to friends. Whenever you are tackling an issue or problem, it’s always useful to reach out to a friend or colleague who can give you a fresh take on whatever you’re working on. I do this all the time, and particularly when I’m stuck. A diversity of ideas leads to a more innovative solution, so reach out to others in order to boost your own ingenuity.
- Follow someone you are not interested in. We tend to follow people that we admire or that we’re like on social media, but if we follow someone that is not like us, we can get a wider array of ideas that we might never have thought of on our own. Push yourself to follow someone who is much different than you or that you think you wouldn’t like. Your innovative mindset will grow in the process.
- Think big. There is nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. Never throw out any idea because it seems unattainable. Approach it in terms of how you can execute on it even if it appears impossible at first. This practice will up your innovation and get you pushing the envelope more often.
- Innovate every day. To become more innovative, you have to practice. Add time for innovation to your daily schedule and start looking around, both at work and at home, to see what you can do better, faster, and more effectively. Your life and performance will improve as a result.
- Change the ambience. There is nothing like a change of environment to get your creative juices flowing. So, mix it up and switch the location where you work on a daily basis. You can also move the furniture around, or relocate to a new spot. When you change things up, you change the way that you look at things, becoming much more innovative in the process.
- Brainstorm. Add regular brainstorming sessions to your schedule. During them, think about areas that are in need of improvement and how you might innovate or bring that improvement about. By regularly engaging in these brainstorming activities, you will become much more innovative in your daily life.
- Find a creative outlet. Creativity and innovation go hand and hand. Are you currently participating in any creative activities? Perhaps you are artistically or musically inclined, and can lean into painting pictures or playing an instrument. Find something that lets your mind wander and relax which will boost up your right brain and allow those innovative ideas to flow in.