Scrolling for Inspiration? Try This Instead!
You don’t need to meditate or isolate, but you DO need to spend some time with your thoughts - without distractions - to stir up new ideas.
When I say "without distractions," I mean simply avoiding background noise like the TV, radio, or social media for a little bit of time. This way, you can truly connect with your thoughts and let creativity flourish.
I know it sounds too easy, but do you remember those days in school when you had to spend a good 45 minutes brainstorming? Over time, ideas would naturally start popping into your head.
While it's tempting to go online, hoping for inspiration - I'm guilty of this too - I've realized that time without distractions has given me way more ideas and inspiration than scrolling ever has.
We think, 'Maybe the next thing I see online will ignite my inspiration,' and so you keep scrolling, one after another.
We tend to think, 'How do I even begin to come up with something?' and then turn back to our phones.
You have to give yourself more credit. Trust me on this one. If you're having trouble focusing, try journaling your thoughts about the project to get started, and you'll see how quickly many more thoughts and ideas come up.
Think of it this way:
Imagine your brain as a workspace with limited capacity. In this simplified model, you can think of this capacity as holding either one main thought or two smaller thoughts at a time.
One Main Thought: When one main thought occupies your mental workspace, it's like focusing all your cognitive resources on a single task or idea, for example, writing a letter or working on a specific project. In this state, your thinking is concentrated and undistracted. It lets you dive deep into the subject and develop detailed, well-thought-out ideas or solutions.
Two Smaller Thoughts: On the other hand, having two smaller thoughts in your mental workspace is akin to multitasking or juggling multiple ideas simultaneously. For example, you can think about what you want to say in a conversation while listening to the other person. While this can be useful for basic tasks, it often limits the depth and quality of your thinking. It's like spreading your cognitive resources thin. It can make generating creative, innovative ideas challenging because you are not fully immersing yourself in any one thought.
Bonus Tip: The next time an idea or a flicker of inspiration comes up for you, embrace it (and don’t talk yourself out of it!). Jot it down and delve into some research. These small moments can jumpstart your creative process, setting the wheels in motion for more ideas.
