Success Advice
Effectiveness Kills Creativity: 7 Steps to Help Strengthen Your Innovative Thinking

You know that you need to be creative to solve complex problems, support innovation and make progress. A lot of tasks, however, cause you to put too much on your plate and you have little time. Therefore, you need to be quick and focused. However, excessive emphasis on efficiency usually kills creativity. It only helps – if you focus less on it, your results will be better.
Complexity of the “mhm” phase
Creativity is the engine of innovation. In fact, raw ideas are transformed into innovations, something new that people are actually willing to pay for. Creativity has different aspects. It is not only a group of people who meet in large rooms with colorful notebooks and highlighters. On the contrary, the creative process should include time for reflection and silence. All of us have certainly experienced the moment of “mhm” that comes with a flash of understanding. However, ideas do not appear suddenly. They are like seeds that have been “sown in your brain” over time, and have grown stronger thanks to the neural pathways that allow you to connect ideas in new ways.
Bringing together different ideas
Creativity comes when you bring together things that you wouldn’t say could be together. That is why the solution may come from, for example, a new person who has just joined the project as it has no effect on him. Diversity often brings unexpected ideas that help solve the problem in a new way.
Keep in mind, however, that you need experience and time to combine different ideas. Creativity cannot be hurried, planned or managed. A study from Baylor University even found that leaders who are too focused on the end result, endanger the performance of their own team.
If you want to be really effective, take the following 7 steps into consideration:
1. Take time to reflect
As you are always available and always have a device in your hands, you are missing the time to think. While you are waiting in the dry cleaners, you check your emails. While you commute to work, you have a conference call with colleagues. However, filling every minute of the day in the name of efficiency can be an obstacle. Your brain also needs to breathe, think and deepen. Resist the urge to be available at every moment and take the time to reflect.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
2. Connect with people who are different than you
You often spend working days with people who think like you because they are part of a business, industry, or function. This is great for efficiency because shared thinking and similar world views help you move forward quickly. However, if you want to be more creative, you should try to connect with other people. Find people who have different jobs, spend time in different places and think differently. Their ideas will encourage your thinking.
3. Look for unexpected experiences
You tend to search for a routine and get predictable patterns into your business. Week after week, everything goes almost the same. However, you can be more creative by searching for experiences outside this standard. Take a different journey to work, register for a course outside of your comfort zone or go on vacation to an unusual destination. Whether it’s small changes like cycling instead of using public transport, or bigger ones like yoga stays during spring break, unusual experiences will help you find lost creativity.
4. Express creativity beyond work
It can be difficult to awaken creativity at work if you rarely use an innovative spirit in other areas of your life. According to one study, your imaginary creative muscle can build up different manifestations of creativity, making your brain more efficient. It is therefore sensible to express oneself also through non-working activities. Whether you’re creating a holiday photo book, learning a foreign language, or attending dance lessons, these activities can stimulate your creativity.
5. Find places that fill you
Evolutionary speaking, our ancestors spent thousands of years in the wild and lived. And now you are just interested in managerial positions and sitting in drab offices. That’s why your brains are incredibly bored. Make sure you find sites that stimulate brain activity. Stand up from your desk and work side by side with colleagues in the café. Make an appointment in a comfortable space near the windows instead of in the conference room. In addition, sit back in the park or find a forest path to take a walk to relax.
6. Create challenges for yourself
It is creative stagnation that is the greatest killer of our progress. If we do not have the need or motivation to drill creative skills on a regular basis, we do not logically move far. That is why there are challenges – they encourage work when we just wave our hands and leave things as they are. But the challenges we set ourselves will not allow us. We do not have to put all our effort into it at once. It is enough to start gradually, for example by practicing creativity on a regular basis, or by achieving a creative milestone to some point. It can be a new level of a foreign language, a song on a piano, a drawing technique, just anything that makes you get up and sit down to work.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” – Pablo Picasso
7. Enjoy your sleep
Rest is also important for the creative process. Efficiency can dictate you to spend the night and finish the project or get up at dawn and catch up with all your emails. However, this can jeopardize your creativity. Sleep is good for the brain, helping to sort thoughts. If you want to think properly, you must also relax correctly.
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Personal Development
These 11 Habits Will Make You More Productive, Successful, and Confident
Boost your focus, confidence, and results with 11 powerful habits successful people use every day.

Successful people love to help beginners. They have an incredible work ethic and rarely complain. As a result, others naturally look up to them and want to follow in their footsteps.
But here’s the truth: there’s no success without sacrifice. You’ll need to give up comfort, excuses, and sometimes even social approval to accomplish your goals.
Value comes from solving problems, and these 11 powerful tips will help you become more productive, successful, and confident, starting today.
1. Take Short Breaks After Finishing a Task
Psychology shows it’s important to reward positive behaviour.
After completing a big task or finishing a book, take five minutes to walk, stretch, or simply breathe. This quick reset helps your brain recharge and strengthens focus.
Many great writers swear by morning walks, solitude, and reflection can unlock creativity.
But if you refuse to take breaks, don’t be surprised when burnout hits. Your brain needs recovery time just as much as your body does.
2. Schedule Your Most Important Tasks First
Multitasking kills productivity. If you want to get more done, try time blocking, a method where you dedicate set periods for specific tasks.
Productivity expert Caitlin Hughes explains, “Time blocking involves scheduling blocks of time for your tasks throughout the day.”
For example, if you’re a writer:
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Research your topic at night.
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Write your first draft in the morning (don’t worry if it’s rough).
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Edit in the afternoon, great writing comes from rewriting.
You can’t buy more time. Use it intentionally and without regret.
3. Eliminate Distractions from Your Workspace
Focus is the foundation of success.
According to Inc. Magazine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to recover from a distraction. That’s nearly half an hour of lost productivity every time you check your phone.
Put your phone away. Close unnecessary tabs. And yes, limit your Netflix binges.
Meeting deadlines consistently is one of the fastest ways to stand out and earn respect.
4. Take Full Responsibility for Your Life
Entrepreneur Derek Sivers once said, “Everything is my fault.”
This mindset doesn’t mean self-blame; it means self-ownership. Stop pointing fingers, making excuses, or waiting for others to change.
If your habits (like smoking or drinking too much) hold you back, it’s time to make better choices. Your friends can’t live your dreams for you; only you can.
5. Invest an Hour a Day in Learning New Skills
Knowledge compounds over time.
Whether you read books, take online courses, or practise a craft, consistent learning gives you a competitive edge.
I used to struggle with academic writing, but I improved by studying the work of great authors and applying what I learned.
Your past doesn’t define you; your actions do. Every new skill adds another tool to your arsenal and makes you more unstoppable.
6. Develop a Growth Mindset
Psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck introduced the concept of fixed vs. growth mindset.
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A fixed mindset believes success is based on natural talent.
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A growth mindset believes success comes from effort and learning.
Choose the growth mindset. Embrace challenges. See failures as feedback. In today’s fast-moving digital world, adaptability is your biggest advantage.
7. Learn Marketing to Reach People Who Need You
I once believed marketing was manipulative, until I realised it’s about helping people solve problems.
If your work provides genuine value, marketing is how you let others know it exists. Even Apple spends billions on it.
Don’t be ashamed to promote your skills or business. Without visibility, your ideas will never reach the people who need them most.
Creative professionals who understand marketing and sales have an unfair advantage.
8. Ask Your Mentor the Right Questions
Good mentors can fast-track your growth.
While mentorship often costs money, it’s one of the best investments you can make. Great mentors don’t care about titles; they care about your progress.
If you don’t have access to a mentor yet, books are your silent mentors. Read the best in your field, take notes, and apply what resonates.
9. Build Confidence Through Action, Not Affirmations
Author Ryan Holiday once said, “I don’t believe in myself. I have evidence.”
Confidence doesn’t come from shouting affirmations into the mirror; it comes from proof. Doing hard things, keeping promises to yourself, and following through.
When you consistently take action, your brain gathers evidence that you can handle whatever comes next. That’s real confidence, grounded, earned, and unshakable.
10. Focus on Your Strengths
Your strengths reveal where your greatest impact lies.
If people compliment you on something often, it’s a clue. Lean into it.
A former professor once told me I was creative, and that simple comment gave me the confidence to go all in. I studied creativity, applied it daily, and turned it into my career advantage.
Double down on your strengths. That’s how you build momentum and mastery.
11. Identify and Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs
Your beliefs shape your reality.
For years, I believed I couldn’t be a great writer because of my chronic tinnitus and astigmatism, sensory challenges that made concentration difficult. But over time, I realised those struggles made me more disciplined, observant, and empathetic.
Your limitations can become your greatest motivators if you let them.
Avoid shortcuts. Growth takes time, but it’s always worth it.
Final Thoughts
Becoming productive, successful, and confident isn’t about working harder than everyone else. It’s about working smarter, consistently, and intentionally.
You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Start small: take a break after your next task, schedule your priorities, or spend one hour learning something new.
Every habit you change compounds into long-term success. Remember, true change comes from practising new behaviours.
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