How cleaning can help you beat your creative crisis

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The notorious crisis is a problem familiar to all creative people. You sit for hours over an empty sheet of paper, unable to give out at least something intelligible. The most annoying thing is that we are wasting all this time, because there is a quick way to get the brain out of the stupor.

Creativity is a kind of magic. Each of us has a particle of it, but the very process of creating something new is shrouded in mystery. Scientists, psychologists and creative people agree on one thing about this: for a brilliant idea to appear, you need to load yourself with information and let the subconscious mind process it. The solution to the problem will come as if by itself, and sometimes quite unexpectedly, for example, when you take a shower or wash the floor. You cannot forcibly turn on the frenzied creativity mode, but often changing occupations is the key to breaking the creative deadlock. It is the activity that does not require thinking that helps the flight of thought.

Sometimes the most boring things help to overcome the creative crisis, so do not underestimate the power of all kinds of everyday worries. Scientists at the University of California, Kimberly Elsbach and Andrew Hargadon, conducted a study that presented the concept of “mindless” work as an integral part of the creative process. They suggested that alternating activities could wake up a dormant creativity: looking for inspiration is replaced by cleaning, meditation, or tidying up the desk. No, sticking to Instagram is not one of such thoughtless activities, sorry. Another benefit of cleaning is that clutter is often distracting or makes you feel uncomfortable.

So why does mopping or cleaning the bathroom work better than hypnotizing a sheet of paper or a monitor while waiting for grace to come? It's all about the specifics of neurological processes. In short, when you are vacuuming or dusting, the part of the brain responsible for muscle memory does not use the area that guides creative thinking in any way. The latter at this time can go about his business, planning, for example, a sudden burst of creativity. When physical work distracts the brain, this autopilot mode dramatically increases mental activity.

Do not be upset in advance, it is not at all necessary to scrub the floors all day long or sit in the shower all day long. Walk the dog, water the flowers, or have fun with coloring - just distract your brain from pressing problems.

Do you think cleaning really helps to get out of the stupor? Share your opinions and advice in the comments.