Are You Feeling More Creative Yet?

A common technique recommended to enhance creativity is to consciously do routine tasks differently, i.e. brush your teeth with the other hand, eat at a new time, take a different way to work.

That approach hasn't been all that fruitful for me. I prefer to let routine tasks be routine so my mind is free to think about new things instead of concentrating on what I'm doing. It's simply works better for me.

One of my familiar routines is driving to and from work since home and work have been in the same places for a long time. I even live and work 40 blocks apart on the SAME street, so it's a straight shot with nothing but a few stop lights and stop signs to break up the quiet time.

In fact, it's conceivable I could get to work with my eyes closed. Some days, my mind wanders so much to other topics, they might as well be closed. In short, drive time for me is usually all about creative thinking.

You can imagine my frustration now that the street is torn up midway to work and there's a detour because of the road construction. Now I have to "think" about which alternative route to take.

I'll be keeping track over the next few weeks, and let you know if I feel more creative because of my detour! I'm not holding my breath!