Get rid of these 5 mental blocks to boost your creativity

Creativity can be more elusive than you think. How many times have you sat in front of a computer screen, mindlessly moving your cursor while your mind is as blank as the word document in front of you? If the answer is several times, you need to analyze why your brain refuses to think creatively.

Periods of creative blockage can be frustrating, to say the least. However, the good news is that you don't have to sit around waiting for creativity to strike you again. Here are a few 'creativity killers' you need to be mindful of so that they don't sneak up on you and strangle your ability to come up with excellent ideas.

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Perfectionism

Putting your best foot forward is good, but if you keep striving for perfection in everything you do, you'll be less likely to take risks and more likely to procrastinate. Perfectionism not only keeps you self-absorbed, it also keeps you engaged in perpetual self-evaluation. This eventually leads to relentless frustration and anxiety. Therefore, it is best to combat your tendencies to be a perfectionist by accepting that failure is an inescapable part of life.

Excuses

If you don't want to do something, you'll always find reasons to procrastinate, or not do the task at all. Excuses are one of the biggest killers of creativity. Instead of staring at your empty word document and thinking about how boring your research subject is, you should take it upon yourself to search the internet thoroughly for the information you need.

Stress

Stress is one of the most common causes of a creative dry-spell. When you are worried about the deadline you have to meet, or the amount of work that needs to be done, you tend to focus on those things instead of the actual work. Stress not only reduces productivity, it also kills creativity. One of the best ways to rid yourself of any stress is to allow your mind to wander freely after every one hour of working.

Monotony

Imagine sitting in the same chair, staring at the same wall, doing the same work for five day a week. Monotony kills creativity. Shake things up every now and then to boost your creativity. Whether it is working on a different project for a while or decorating your work desk with pictures and plants, when you surround yourself with things that inspire you, creativity is bound to strike.

Pessimism

If you lead yourself to believe that you will fail again because you've already failed once, you will not only kill your creativity, you'll probably fail too. Instead of allowing negative thoughts to cloud your judgment, you should reach out for positive emotions like happiness and optimism that will lead you towards optimal creativity.

Don't let the above-mentioned five factors kill your creativity. If you face hurdles and setbacks, start your creative journey once again by ridding yourself of the greatest obstacles that lie within you.

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