How can taking a break from work help you be more productive in Creative Strategy?

Meditation does not need to be done in a dedicated calm space. With a little practice you can take a mental break when you are in a taxi, waiting in a queue or even a little break at your desk. Meditation, tapping, breathing exercises, etc. can all be done just about anywhere (except while driving), and have great cognitive benefits, as well as physical and emotional perks. You will also find you reboot your creativity while doing these practices.

In my experience, my best and most creative ideas come when I am in a relaxed state; when I am not thinking about work. Tip: Keep a journal with you so you can note down inspiring ideas 💡 as they arise. Then get back to relaxing - more ideas will come. The best ideas need new and novel environments to arise. Try changing the environment in which you relax.

Here’s a few things I have found extremely helpful when I’m experiencing cognitive fatigue: 1. Go for a run or a walk. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. A 30 min run or stroll thru your neighborhood can help you reset and clear the “cognitive cobwebs” in your head. 2. Nap. Studies have shown that a 15 or 20 minute nap can do wonders. If you work from home this is a great way to unplug. Don’t roll past 20 minutes. 3. Stop and fuel up. Many creatives get into a rhythm where we blow through parts of our day unnoticed. No breaks for some fuel. A small meal or snack. Sure we will stay caffeinated but we’re not eating and dehydrating ourselves. Stop. Drink water, get some non-processed food into you. Breaks matter.

Taking a break is absolutely a great way to re-energize yourself for the tasks ahead. The benefits are rewarding. Meditation is enhanced during this process. Meditation enables you to relax and rethink so you can be inspired to embrace better strategies. Relaxation is a major antidote for stress, worry, and anxiety. In the end, your health is improved and your effectiveness is enhanced.

Taking “pauses” could also be applied here. If our mood is diminishing, breaks are important as they can be used to de-escalate a scenario where you may not bring your best self to the table. Of course they’re needed if things detonate. Now, if you use “pauses” more often when you feel your mood start to sour, the introspective moment may help avoid needed the break later.

Think about the power of deep sleeping. When you sleep your regular 8 hours you feel good and ready to beat anything. Well, taking breaks during your day routine makes the same effect. I'm not a brain expert but in my experience taking some pauses throughout the day make my feel better and kind of lighter. And is at this point when you can get your best ideas. You must develop and create the environment to make your thoughts appear. If your our stressed working in an awful place, you might be less permeable to get an eureka thing. However if you are in a friendly place with fresh air or feeling thing makes you happy, you will tend yo be more creative. Think about it, it's easier than you think.

Trying to force an idea is generally the least productive way to get inspired. Taking time away and focusing on something completely different will help untie all the wound-up parts of your brain. Whenever I’m hitting a wall, I do something completely unrelated that doesn’t require any decision making with consequences. Maybe it’s drawing the weirdest animal I can think of or playing an imaginative game. These are things that don’t have any negative outcomes and put me in that Bob Ross “happy little accidents” mindset, which is key to transfer over to your work in developing creative strategy.

Avoid inspiration saturation. While immersing yourself in world-class inspiration and ideas can help generate new ideas and connections, it can also lead to excessive self-comparison and stifling of lateral thinking. Our work is heavily influenced by what we surround ourselves with— avoid becoming a Frankensteined version of everything on your inspiration board. Stepping back can freshen your perspective and ensure you're not just recycling everything you come across.

An effective way in which I have “reminded” myself to take breaks is to hard schedule the time into my calendar daily. If I’m effectively time blocking, keeping the “promises of my day” in front of me. What I’ve promised my clients and team as well as what I promised myself.

I don’t think you should review or emphasize pressure to perform on your breaks—that feels counterproductive. Breaks are supposed to be for you to recharge and come back with less tunnel vision and bias. Structuring can be important time-wise to make sure you don’t waste away and miss any deadlines, but I think that whatever you’re doing shouldn’t need to be reflected upon.

Breaks are not only periods of relaxation, but also powerful creative tools. There is power in silence, especially in creative strategy. Taking a break allows your mind to relax and move away from entrenched thought patterns. It is often in these moments of non-work that the best ideas can emerge, as the subconscious continues to work and make new connections. One hack: See breaks as part of the creative process. Rather than seeing them as a waste of time, they should be recognised as essential stages in the growth and development of new ideas. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Walking in the countryside or observing the environment can open the mind and lead to new perspectives.

Taking breaks from work in Creative Strategy is a breath of fresh air. Stepping out of our created systems allows us to gain perspective, fostering a creative recharge. Breaks provide the mental space to acknowledge, admire, and draw inspiration from others. Great artists understand that creativity often involves 'stealing'—not copying, but adapting and remixing ideas. These pauses enhance productivity by preventing burnout, promoting mental flexibility, and encouraging a dynamic synthesis of influences, leading to more innovative and effective creative strategies.