You’re a mid-career professional who wants to be creative and productive. How can you balance the two?

Many creativity and innovation experts, starting with Edward De Bono to current contemporary ones have strongly argued that often creativity and productivity drive one in opposite directions UNLESS you make conscious efforts. Creativity drives long-term productivity while many productivity measures in the organization are oriented towards short-term gains. To be both creative and productive one requires discipline, focus, and willingness. Fix a place, and time when you can creatively think about your work. This will need a lot of study of what is happening in the industry, related technology etc. as well as having deep understanding of problems.

Find a place that is separated from your day-to-day work. That could be a physical location, or a technology enabled one. Just get away from the usual work and place where noticifactions could drag you away. For me, I like to go analog, by taking a pen and notebook to a comfy space by a window. And just think. Write down what ideas you come up with. Then take those ideas away with you when you go back to your usual work.

Descanso e Recarga: A criatividade floresce com uma mente descansada. Garanta períodos de descanso e atividades que recarreguem suas energias. Ambiente Inspirador: Crie um ambiente de trabalho que estimule a criatividade, seja com elementos visuais, música ou um layout que favoreça a inovação. Aprendizado Contínuo: Invista em aprender novas habilidades e técnicas. Isso pode impulsionar tanto a criatividade quanto a produtividade. Tecnologia e Ferramentas: Use tecnologias e ferramentas que ajudem a otimizar o trabalho e liberem tempo para a criatividade. Priorização e Delegação: Aprenda a priorizar tarefas e delegar quando necessário, liberando tempo para focar em atividades mais criativas.

Creativity is something that can bubble away in your mind, even during your downtime. I often find it doesn't need scheduling in the same way that productivity does. The important thing is to break ground on the problem. Give it an hour or two of dedicated time to really understand what you're grappling with, research any roadblocks, and find obvious non-starters. Once that's done, the puzzle is in your brain to be worked on in the shower and while you're washing the pots. You can schedule in serious time for productive work on it once that brainwave arrives!

Believe it or not, finding a routine that fosters innovation while maintaining discipline is the best way to go about it. This means allocating specific times for brainstorming and creative pursuits, ensuring these sessions are uninterrupted and focused. Then, dedicate other parts of your day to executing these ideas efficiently, using tools and strategies to manage your time and resources effectively.

Never force creative time. It just doesn't work like that! Sometimes, I may have a set time for writing content or ideating something. However I'm just not in the headspace for it for whatever reason. It happens. Just don't fight it. Go back to doing something else which suits your mood right now and there will be another time when you feel in the right place for getting creative.