Ten Tips to Boost Creativity

Nice tips from Richard Wiseman's :59 Seconds 


"1) Ditch group brainstorming because it often causes people to simply follow the most dominant member of the group.  Instead have people come up with ideas on their own and then meet to discuss them.
2) Try feeding your mind with new ideas by doing something completely different such as, visiting a museum or art gallery, flicking through a magazine, going on a journey, or randomly searching the internet.
3) Try imagining how a child, friend, artist, or accountant would approach the problem.  Or think about doing the exact opposite of every solution you have created so far. Changing perspective helps produce novel solutions.
4) Watch a funny film, incorporate the words ‘cheese’ and ‘pie’ into your next meeting or telephone call, or digitally alter a photograph of your friend so that he or she looks more like an owl.  People are more creative when they are having fun.
5) Become more curious about the world.  Ask yourself an interesting question each week. How do elephants communicate over hundreds of miles?  Why do people laugh?  Why are bananas yellow?
6) To inspire creative thoughts, embrace nature.  Place a potted plant on your desk and, if possible, work in a room that looks out on trees and grass.  Or head for the nearest green spot and walk around.
7) Listen to classical music.  People are at their most creative when they are relaxed and in a good mood.  Slow moving classical music induces both of these feelings in most people within minutes. Carry a small notebook and pencil around with you and scribble down an idea the moment it comes into your head.  Good thoughts strike at any time and it is important to record them before they are forgotten.
9) Randomly select a word from a dictionary and then create an ideas based around this word.  The random combination of elements helps people become more creative by constraining their thinking.
10) Go for a walk, get to the gym or even just stroll around your office or home.  Movement relaxes the body and people tend to have better ideas when they are moving than when they are static."