Unlock Creativity: Getting Your Mojo Back for Futures Thinking
A few weeks ago, in episode 1 for 2024, I shared that I was struggling to come up with content for the episode on trends, predictions, and changes for the year ahead (which hasn’t happened before). It was because my schedule was so full in the last quarter of 2023 that I couldn't think straight and just wanted to make it to the end of the year. That did happen, but I didn’t finish working until the 24th Dec and was back in the office on the 27th Dec because I had all the intentions of catching up, working on systems and processes, and automation that I hadn’t gotten to for months.
But at the same time, I also put so much pressure on myself to create content for 3 months rather than the 4-6 weeks that I used to do in 2023, as well as designing new service options. Doing all that together was a little much, especially after coming from such a full-on period, and that didn’t help.
I put so much pressure on myself that I literally forgot what I was doing while at it, and it took me days of this sluggish time to get over it. I was just fed up feeling that way, so I thought I had to change things if I wanted different results, as I'm committed to in 2024.
If you’re anything like me and you may have started the year with a bang and full of beans but now found yourself in a bit of a rut or you’ve felt this emptiness for quite some time and don’t know how to get out of it, trust me - these strategies and tactics will get your mojo back.
So let’s kick off - with strategy 1, and that is reframing your situation.
Saying you’re in a rut literally means standing still. Whereas if you say you feel there is so much potential and opportunity still out there and you’re excited to step into this growth area. Getting to this stage is already an achievement, and you know, you haven’t even scratched the surface with what’s possible. We can only have one emotion at a time, so rather than feeling down and sorry for ourselves, focus your feelings on gratitude by writing down or saying out loud what you’re grateful to be and have. While most swear that journaling is their vessel and most of my clients do it also, I’m better with saying it out loud. So, I say it before I go to bed, what I’m grateful about the day, and then say to my partner in the morning, what I’m grateful about our lives and what’s ahead for the day.
Strategy 2: Content diet check
Now you have fed your brain the right type of energy, it comes down to the right type of external content. I found myself binge-watching trashy TV for way too much time because it’s just an easy way to finish the day. But I could literally feel that I was getting dumber and number by the day, so I got back into my reading routines before bed and exercising twice a day which I’ll come back to in a second. Regarding content - get rid of anyone you follow who makes you feel bad about yourself or irritates you with what they’re sharing or talking about.
I also have now a dedicated hour a week (for me, it’s Monday afternoon as I’m teaching during the day and then have team meetings in the arvo and catch up on admin work so adding the learning power hour to that is a perfect mix for me to keep myself stimulated on a day that’s quite mundane without getting overwhelmed because the day already presented a ton of challenges.
So see what day and time in your week would be best for a dedicated learning time and also which activities would be better swapped that feed and stimulate your brain? And don’t think it’s a cold turkey switch - it can and should be gradual so you can stick to it.
Speaking of sticking to it- next up is the exercise routine.
Strategy 3: Movement over motivation
While I haven’t not exercised in 11.5 years now, meaning I haven’t missed a daily workout, I got into a bit of a comfortable routine too which didn’t challenge my body as much as it used to. I also shared that this year is my big 4.0, which means that I’m also aware that my body is changing and I need to change if I want not only the same results but different results.
Plus, since we know that your environment and your surroundings form you, I also thought of this being a perfect opportunity to branch out, try not only new activities but also do it with different people. I go to the gym at 3.30 am every single day, and yes, there are a few people, but at the same time, there’s a reason for all of us to go that early - to avoid contact and chats hahah - but again, this is a comfortable place to be in and pushing myself out of my comfort zone exposed me to new people, new conversations, and with that, new ways of thinking. So what activity can you add or change in your routine that would expose you to other people, lifestyles, and behaviors that also correlate with moving your body?
Strategy 4: Proximity is power
It’s so easy to get trapped with the same type of people and with that, the same type of behaviours, conversations and thinking. Truth is - you want to surround yourself with people who are not necessarily out of your league but who’re better than you in areas you want to improve. II you want to raise your game this year, you must get in proximity to someone who is playing the game at a higher level than you are because you mirror their behavior and it becomes normal. You want to become an early morning person- spend time with people who think the 5am club is a sleep in (yep -that may be me haha) but you get the gist. They don’t question this behaviour and expect that you show up and that makes you question your own behaviour, which is initially a change until it become your new and normal routine.
You always want to surround yourself with people playing at a higher level. I’ve seen the impact of this on my own life and the lives of others and it is invaluable. May it be through paid engagements like working with coaches, joining a mastermind or any other facilitated workshops or activities or simply by spending time with people doing the activities you want to do. For me, the next step in making a big change is to move to the beach, to the Gold Coast and I can see already exactly where and how we will live and the new and next normal we will have with people who I inspired to be and hang out with but it doesn’t need to be drastic changes like that to adjust and adopt a different lifestyle and with that, thinking. It may be again a small change but one that moves the needle.
Strategy 5: Let loose when creativity is striking
I find it takes a little while to get into my creative thinking space but when I’m in, I’m sprinting and nothing can stop me haha.
After it took me a little while to get my mojo back and I exposed myself to different thoughts, ideas and even just having more white space to think and reflect on my own struggles and ideas, literally experienced an influx of creativity, and I started batch creating like crazy..
I designed all of my social media posts for a month within 3h (and they are all designed from scratch whilst I used to re-use the same or similar designs now for a while. But since my physical appearance is a bit different with shorter hair and I also want to slightly elevate my own personal brand communication, I figured this was the perfect timing of doing it.
And now I’m curious to hear from you! What strategies and tactics have worked for you to get yourself out from a comfortable or maybe not so comfortable routine? Send me a DM on LinkedIn or Instagram
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