How To Boost Your Creative Output

Again courtesy of lifehack.org, How to boost your creative output. As I read the ideas, I think of the many students I have known and know now, who let a fear of failure or its embarrassing cousin, ridicule, prevent them from making an attempt. There is, in their minds, less to lose by not trying at all than by trying and failing - however they define failure. And we can't know, as they enter our classrooms and school libraries, what their past history may be, and what may have bred or confirmed this perspective. Still, our job then is to create an environment where failure is OK, and an attempt is not a short road to humiliation - a safe place for learning to flourish and creativity and effort are rewarded. It's a verbal and nonverbal game, and sometimes the greatest value for students is when you are prepared to admit to your own failures - not as preachy sermons, but to show that we're all on a learning journey, and as with any worthwhile journey, obstacles are pretty much inevitable.

Quote from the lifehack article - read the tips (these points are expanded in the article):

• Churn Without Judgment.
• Creative Input.
• Be Patient.
• Use Large Time Chunks.
• Publish Garbage.
• Set a Quota.
• Hit the Challenge Zone.
• Aim With Your Challenge Zone.
• Nuke Those Assumptions.