Nike Hyperfuse How to be Consistently, Creatively

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lash back to 2004==
As I sit down to write an article, I feel stumped. I've got an hour to "get it done," and meanwhile I'm just staring at the screen... 55 minutes later, with a few sentences written, I have to stop, and I'm off to the next thing- two back-to-back conference calls.
==Flash forward again.==
Your business depends on your creativity. Your creativity in your marketing, in your product and service creation, and just in how you show up for your customers and clients. Without creativity, everything grows stagnant, you are unable to produce to meet deadlines, yours and others, and you begin to feel lifeless. And so does your business. And so do your profits.
How do you nurture the absolutely critical, bottom-line necessary creativity since you can't just turn it on between appointments?
Well, let's take a look at creativity, what it is, and what it needs.
The first thing to get clear is that "creativity" is a bit of a misnomer. You aren't creating anything, in the meaning of "making something exist out of thin air, where nothing existed before." No human being can create at that level, although it can sure look that way sometimes.
So,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], when you get creative, what's really happening? In the best-selling management book Whale Done, by Ken Blanchard, the book describes how a failing manager attending a business conference in Florida, takes time off to go see a killer whale show. Amazed by the performance, he sticks around to find out how the trainers get the killer whales to perform so consistently.
A best-selling book was born out of this apparent mis-match: training killer whales who could easily kill and eat their trainers (means you want to keep them happy and well-fed), and creating positive and effective relationships with employees and others in your life.
Amazing. Simple. Creative.
Although Whale Done is written as a fable, the event of meeting the killer whale trainers really happened. And it happened during time off from working.
Creativity is a synthesis of different elements, not normally seen together, or expressed in a certain way. In order to make those unusual connections, you need unscheduled time. You need room to think and play and daydream, where there is no pressure to be "productive."
You need space.
==Flash back to 2006.==
I have an entire week of unstructured time, except for three appointments. Clients ask to meet, and I smoothly schedule them before and after the week. People want to "get together." I schedule them out. A high-priority board meeting comes up, but,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I'm unavailable. So sorry. My week is packed full. With space. And the creativity and insights pour through.
==Flash forward again.==
How do you defend your spaciousness from the unrelenting onslaught of demands and deadlines? Read below in "Keys to Space Defense."
Keys to Space Defense.
? Take "Cafe Days."
Nutso marketing guru Sean D'Souza calls these "cafe days." I've adopted them, and they are brilliant. Go spend 2-4 hours in a cafe. By yourself. No computer. Bring a pad of paper and a pen if you like. Eat lunch. Sip tea. Watch people. Daydream. See what happens.
? Give yourself one appointment a day for you.
If you see clients, or vendors, or whomever, and you typically schedule 60-90 minute appointments,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], give one of these to yourself every day. Yes, every day.
I struggled with finishing my book for a long time, until my mastermind group convinced me to treat my book like a client. A very big and important client. A daily client.
I made the decision to give my 9am client slot to my book every single day. I finished the book in a little over four months. And, I liked the habit so much, I kept that 9am slot for me. Just try and get a 9am appointment with me. Sorry, I'm booked. But I'll gladly see you at 10:30am. Smile

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