Sometimes it feels like creativity never really can strike. When it rains it pours, but when it doesn't it's a desert. I've been in those ruts, where you feel like nothing is progressing forward and your creative juices just aren't flowing to give you the ability to solve problems with innovation. Anyways, here are a few tips to help you get your creative juices flowing again:
1. Get Moving - exercise, walking, jumping
You would be surprised how much a difference it makes just to move your legs and get fresh blood flowing to your brain. I usually put on good music and the more I walk or run the more new ideas seem to flow out of me.
2. Alter your process - change it up and try another way to find solutions
Have you been using excel, pen & paper, a certain analytical framework - perhaps you have tunnel vision? Try using an unconventional approach, post-its, drawing, decisions trees - don't be afraid to fail forward into your new approach!
3. Clear your mind (but clear your office first, please)
Your physical space really is a representation of how you structure your inner world. Do yourself a favor and try getting rid of junk and clutter and making room for new ideas. My favorite is removing that pile of Work-in-progress-I-keep-telling-myself-but-never-really-quite-get-to. A fresh space lets you start fresh and free of frustration and worry.
4. Mix in a little bit of chance
By adding in a little bit of chance you are removing certain decisions from the process. Whether you use dice, yes-no dice or any other tools, by eliminating certain decisions that may be holding you back it can let you focus on the questions that matter.
5. Make a game out of it
One company actually went so far as to transform a monopoly board into a decision tree. Every property was turned into an action that a customer would take, and chance cards became company conditions. This gameification turns the problem into a competition and allows you to reframe the motivation into a competition. There are many games styles you can choose - simple word games, card games. The point is to just rework the context to allow you to experience "flow" and get lost in the problem within a game setting.