As tech professionals, what we need is a way to work better so that we can create more, right? Through exploring various concepts and approaches, including the neuroscience of creativity, productivity techniques, and emerging practices that spur innovation, we'll discover not only the ways in which our brains work best, but also what’s behind the times when we feel on fire with creativity and when we don't. We’ll translate this information into processes and techniques for dramatically enhanced creative productivity. Beware: this session challenges the standard norms around concentration, focus, productivity, and may change how you work…for the better.
21. It feels like
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/2761300969/
22. “Creativity is magical, but it is
not magic.”
Dr. Charles Limb, Your Brain on Improvisation TED talk
23. “Creativity is all about making
connections and seeing patterns.”
Bruce Nussbaum,Creativity Intelligence
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kosmotesto/3794445313/
37. “If your demons are such that they fill
the room the instant you contemplate
creating, your studio will be too
dangerous a place to enter.”
Eric Maisel, author of Fearless Creating
49. “Fear is not real. It is a product of the
thoughts you create.
Do not misunderstand me.
Danger is very real. But fear is a
choice.”
Character of Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith), After Earth
50. Hack >> Become a Fear Alchemist
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist.jpg
51. “The goal is to manage anxiety so that
our energies are used for the
productive and satisfying (act) of
creating, rather than the destructive
and debilitating art of self-torture.”
Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution
52. Banish Your Inner Critic!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31505964@N08/4691019168/
57. “Failure is only the opportunity to
begin again more intelligently.”
Henry Ford
58. Change your body language, change your mind
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirteenthnile/4546397775/
59. “Our bodies change our minds,
our minds change our behavior,
and our behavior changes our
outcomes.”
Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
TED talk
61. #Exercise: Power Pose
Stand up. Assume a pose that embodies a sense of defeat,
can’t do it, it will never work, “I suck/I’m no good/an
impostor”, etc. Make yourself as small and powerless feeling
as possible.
Then, strike a power pose. Imagine yourself as a superhero
looking off into the distance seeing your destiny of major
creative butt-kicking.
Alternate several times. Hold the power pose for as long as you
can so that you can feel the change.
67. Instead: Left + Right brain = Creativity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47691521@N07/4639590640/
68. “The parts of your brain that are
responsible for self-monitoring are literally
turned off during creative
endeavors….Creative people have
mastered the art of turning off [the
inhibitive] part of their brains to let their
ideas flow more smoothly, unleashing their
imagination.”
Tina Seelig, InGenius
69. What are our brains constantly producing?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/7254347346/
72. #Exercise: Enter Alpha
Close your eyes and relax. Breathe through your nose.
Now place your tongue at the roof of your mouth,
turn your eyes towards the ceiling underneath your
eyelids.
Take several deep, long breaths.
As you relax, you are changing your brainwaves from
Beta to Alpha.
91. Hack >> Habit field reboot
Clean up your work habit field by following the suggestions in
the article “Habit Fields” by Jack Cheng. Create your
equivalent of a “distraction chair” and move to it when you
feel like you are inclined to surf the web, email, Tweet,
Facebook, or engage in any other computer-related
distraction. When you are ready to work again, come back to
your desk.
Rinse and repeat until your work habit field is clear again and
no longer fuzzy.
98. Aids for digital blocking
Tools
RescueTime.com
GetConcentrating.com
HeyFocus.com
Browser Extensions
Firefox:
LeechBlock
Idderall
Google Chrome:
Strict Workflow
StayFocusd
121. All of the previous steps lead you here:
• Concept in mind: know what you want to achieve
and what it looks like
• Practice in place
• Cleared space
• Time carved out and distractions eliminated
• Necessary materials on hand
126. “…the confidence that, when
given a difficult problem, we have
a methodology that enables us to
come up with a solution that
nobody has before.”
David Kelley of Ideo
130. “Creativity makes day to day
experiences more vivid, more
enjoyable, more rewarding. When we
live creatively, boredom is banished
and every moment holds the promise
of a fresh discovery.”
Mihali Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity
131. Let out all of your great ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/
135. My articles for further reading
Banishing Your Inner Critic
alistapart.com/articles/banishing-your-inner-critic/
Four Secrets to Enhancing Creative Productivity
www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/four-secrets-enhancing-creative-productivity-9126098
Reigniting Your Creative Spark
alistapart.com/articles/reigniting-your-creative-spark/
Breaking the Perfectionism-Procrastination Infinite Loop
webstandardssherpa.com/reviews/breaking-the-perfectionism-procrastination-infinite-loop/
136. THE CREATIVE DOSE
A Creativity + Innovation Collective
Work Better. Create More. Create Betterness.
Creative Thinking & Problem-solving
Applying an Innovation Mindset
Creative Collaboration
Team Communication & Cohesion
TheCreativeDose.com
@thecreativedose
137. Connect, Chat, and Collaborate!
DeniseJacobs.com
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Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/