Showing posts with label Creative Block. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Block. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

In a Resume Writing Rut? Here's Eight Ways to Boost Your Creativity!


Feeling creativity drained? Stuck in a resume writing rut? Today's blog post will give you eight ways to boost your creativity. You ARE creative -- you just have to let your creativity out!

Here's how:

  • Be More Mindful

There are a lot of things we do every day without even thinking. We get up, shower, brush our teeth and go about our lives mostly on autopilot. Try getting up in the morning with a new mindfulness about even the most mundane activities. Think about how your sheets feel on your body right before you get up; think about how the shower water feels; think about how the toothpaste smells and tastes, and so forth. Take new pleasure in everyday experiences and really be "in the moment" as you experience them.

  • Look at the World Differently

If you drive to the store the same way each time, take a different route. If you have a viewpoint in life that is different from a friend's, take the time to give their world view some consideration. You don't have to tell them; it's simply a practice to looking at the world through a different lens, which might bring rise to new ideas and thoughts that you never allowed yourself to experience before.

  • Go for a Walk

If you're working on a resume and feeling stuck, get up and get out. Go for a brisk walk. While you are walking, try not to think of anything but your walk for the first couple of minutes. After that, it's okay to think of the resume and brainstorm ideas as you walk. You might consider bringing a recording device with you so that you won't forget anything that comes to mind. Often, taking the pressure off is the best way to become more creative.

  • Change Your Environment

One of the best things about working for yourself is the ability to change your environment. You can take your laptop to the park or the local coffee shop to do some work. Need a bigger change? Try cleaning up your office, painting it a new color, and moving around the furniture. Change helps your mind work better.

  • Learn Something New

Take a class; read a book; go to a conference. However you choose to do it, learn something new. It's important that you are always learning and growing. What you learn doesn't actually even have to be related to resume writing. It can be something just for you -- such as learning how to garden, or golf. It can also be something that helps you more directly in your business such as learning how to incorporate passive income into your resume writing business. The important factor is that you make it formal enough that you do it regularly and once you've learned, move on to learning something else new.

  • Get Moving

Yes, walking is moving, but you need more regular exercise in your life than a walk when you are frustrated or blocked. People who work at a desk and sit for more than four hours a day are at a higher risk of sudden death than those who have other types of jobs. The scary part is, many of us sit for more than 11 hours a day, which increases your risk of death early by 40 percent. Join a regular exercise plan or create your own regiment, and then get up every 90 to 100 minutes and move around for 10 minutes -- or buy a standing desk.






  • Eat Better

The brain needs glucose to think. That's why you crave all that sugar when you are doing a lot of work and really want to stuff your face with chocolate or ice cream or both. Give yourself permission to eat more fruit while you're working, and you'll find that your brain works better. Studies show that people who eat sweets during or before a test perform better. Make the sweet something healthy like a banana or a sweet juicy peach. A green smoothie is even better.


  • Take Action

Sometimes being more creative is simply a matter of going from thinking to doing. The truth is there is no such thing as a creative block. You've likely heard of "writer's block" but have you ever heard of "Cashier's Block" or "Doctor's Block" or seriously any other career that gives you an excuse not to get to work other than so-called creative professions? These blocks really don't exist. Your creativity is there for you on command as soon as you accept that it is.


Try these eight ways to boost your creativity! Do you have a tip for how to feel more creative? Share it in the comments below!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Regaining Your Creative Spark

In a recent weekly email newsletter, author Harvey Mackey addressed the topic of creativity. 

I addressed the same topic in my book, "Write Great Resumes Faster." 
Sometimes you just get stuck when you're writing a resume. You can't figure out how to start -- or you start, and you can't finish. While the book gives you some specific strategies for helping you write resumes, Mackay gives you some more general creativity builders.

His suggestions:

  • Be aware of what's going on around you. Stay on top of trends. Learn from other people's ideas and mistakes.
  • Rely on your instincts. As you assimilate the information around you and assess the possibilities, factor in your instincts to come up with creative solutions.
  • Assess your options. Sort your ideas into categories, and rank them. Try combining ideas, and eliminate any that don't fit what you're looking for.
  • Stick with it. You need to be persistent if you want to achieve anything significant. Keep a detailed picture of the intended result in your mind to hep you stay focused and move forward.
  • Be patient. You can't hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and take time to think things over. That's usually how the best ideas bloom.
  • Evaluate the results. At the end of the process, ask yourself: Has my vision been realized? Learn from what works and what fails, so you can move on to your next project.
  • Creativity isn't just a process. It's a value. If you value success, get creative!

Creativity can be your best asset when you're feeling it -- and it can be your biggest enemy when you're struggling. Use Mackay's tips -- and the strategies in Write Great Resumes Faster (including Quick Reference Guides to action verbs, personality traits, profile descriptions, section headers, keywords and more)k0 -- to stay on track!

Saturday, July 5, 2008