Like most people I’m more creative when I’m out of the office. The further away I go, the more creative I get.
There’s a good scientific reason for the “eureka” moments that seem to occur more frequently when we travel or spend time away from work.
WHY?
Your brain is an energy hog and needs to conserve as much energy as possible for heavy-lifting mental tasks. And that’s why the brain expends less effort in familiar surroundings. That’s great for energy efficiency; not so great if you’re looking for epiphanies.
In other words, a change of environment will kick start your brain’s creative power!
Now let’s revisit the problem millions will experience in the coming week.
They will suffer from a condition that’s not covered in the medical journals but nearly every cubicle-dweller is aware of it.
The ‘condition’ is PLDB: Post Labour Day Blues. It’s marked by anxiety, stress, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, less joy, and a sudden decrease in creativity.
Often it afflicts those who don’t like their job or their boss. In those cases, the only cure is a new job or a new boss.
But for many of us who love what we do, post Labour Day can still put us in a funk!
We feel less creative than we did during our summer vacation. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Here are four remedies for PLDB, Post Labour-Day Blues.
Schedule mini brain vacations. Your brain needs a break. It also needs unfamiliar surroundings to make new connections and to see the world in a different way.
I know many people who turn short business trips into mini vacations, extending the trip by an extra day to play tourist. Your brain doesn’t need to travel to have a vacation. Try a different restaurant for lunch or a space outside of the office for creative work.
Give people the opportunity to learn new things.
It is critical to place a premium on learning. Many companies bring in outside experts at least once a week, giving their people an opportunity to get away from their computers for an hour or two and to kick-start their brains with new ways of thinking.
Loosen the travel budget. Many companies have cut “non-essential travel” to the bone. It’s too bad because some leaders are missing the point of outside conferences. They think employees are having too much fun. They should be having fun! Sharing knowledge and good times in new or unfamiliar environments will jolt the collective creativity of the team.
Don’t over schedule off-sites. If you do plan to hold more off-site meetings or conferences, avoid over scheduling. We’ve all heard of the dreaded off-site where every minute of the day is scheduled with a meeting or activity from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. In these cases, it’s no wonder the team returns feeling tired and fatigued. Worse, they don’t look forward to doing it again. The brain needs a break from work. It also needs a break from endless meetings at an off-site.
Nothing jolts the brain awake as much as a change of environment, and that includes the physical space you’re in and the people you meet. New places and new people stimulate new ways of thinking!
