One of the interesting aspects of starting a new job is that everything feels novel and exciting. There are endless opportunities to learn something new and to be challenged. Over time, however, this changes. You fall into a routine, and tasks become more mundane. The “Sunday scaries” start to kick in more frequently, and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your energy levels high.
The solution to overcoming this can’t always be to get a new job, so instead, in this blog, I’m proposing that we find ways to bring creativity back into our work.
I know I personally feel more satisfied and inspired at work when I have opportunities to be creative, but there is data to support this feeling. Finding opportunities for creativity improves overall mental health, and according to a 2023 study by Adobe and the National Alliance on Mental Illness: “Among the general population, the top potential benefits of engaging in creativity were improved sense of confidence in one’s abilities (63%), reduced feelings of stress or anxiety (61%), and improved overall mental well-being (57%).”
Carving out time for creativity is easier said than done, especially when we are in support roles or roles that require many tangible outputs. Here are a few ways we can bring creativity back into our work, improve our mental health, and escape the monotony of daily routines:
1. Prioritize Opportunities for Creativity
When reviewing our to-do list for the day, we typically prioritize tasks based on urgency. However, urgency shouldn’t be the only factor we optimize for. Once we’ve identified the most pressing items, consider which tasks allow for some type of creative outlet.
These tasks might involve brainstorming new ideas, collaborating with another team, improving processes, or rethinking a “status quo” solution. Prioritizing creative opportunities alongside your urgent tasks helps ensure that you’re not only completing your work, but doing so in a sustainable manner that results in work that is both dynamic and rewarding.
2. Don’t Always Follow the Same Process
Someone once suggested that I could shake up my daily routine by physically getting out of bed on a different side than usual. This simple act of exiting your bed differently sets your day off on a slightly different note than the day before.
We shouldn’t force ourselves to mix things up at work just for the sake of doing things differently, but when we’re craving creativity, it can help us break out of our routine. An easy example is learning new Excel formulas. There are many times when I’m using Excel and doing things manually, knowing there’s a better way. So, when I’m in need of some creativity, I watch YouTube videos to learn new formulas, and then build a more automated process. I feel satisfied because I improved my process and learned a new skill.
3. Increase Collaboration
Collaboration has countless benefits in the workplace. You have diverse opinions helping you identify the best solutions, but you also receive tangential benefits from learning how others approach problems.
Increased collaboration increases creativity because the exchange of ideas and techniques can inspire new ways of thinking and novel approaches that might not have emerged in isolation. You can do this by setting up more “working sessions” at work to complete tasks with others, rather than handling everything independently. For example, I enjoy watching others code, because I always learn new techniques that I wasn’t aware of before.
Life is too short, and we spend too many hours at work to have careers that lack excitement and satisfaction. When we feel this way, we need to find ways to bring creativity back into our work to ensure sustainable mental well-being.
By prioritizing creative opportunities alongside urgent tasks, seeking out new approaches to daily processes, and increasing collaboration with colleagues, we enhance our chances for creativity. Not only does this approach improve our mental well-being, but it also creates a more dynamic and rewarding work environment.
