Movin' On Up

Lunch Foods to Keep you Energized at Work

We’ve all been there - 2:30 p.m. rolls around and our eyelids feel like they weigh 50 pounds. We start yawning, then stretch and squirm at our work station to stay awake. The mid-day food drain can impact your productivity at work and can be frowned upon by co-workers if you’re constantly yawning at meetings.

It’s time to ditch the drowsy and embrace the energy at work. By changing a few habits during your lunch break, you can find the energy you need to last the day and work stronger than ever. Here are some fun food ideas to help you stay awake and avoid the urge to take a nap at your desk.

Why Am I So Sleepy?
After eating, your body is diverting blood flow for the digestive process. While this blood flow can energize you, the heavier, fattier foods cause sluggishness. Eating sugary foods greatly increases blood sugar levels, causing the pancreas to release insulin. This causes the body to change the insulin into several enzymes until it finally gets into the brain and is converted into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel sleepy.

Like a Checkbook, Keep it Balanced
One of the best ways to keep yourself fueled throughout the day is to make sure your lunch is complete with carbohydrates and low-fat protein. The good kind of carbs come from fiber in foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains.

One of the best ways to combine these foods is with the classic sandwich. You can combine whole-grain breads, wraps, or pitas with high protein foods like lean meats, such as turkey, chicken, tuna, cheese, or eggs. You can complete it with assorted greens, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, or cucumbers to help give you some extra long-lasting carbs to keep you energized.

Eating sandwiches every day may get boring and you might get back in the habit of eating out. To add some variety to your lunch, consider bringing leftovers from previous dinners. They are a great food to bring because you can control the calories and portions to ensure it will be healthy yet filling. It wouldn’t be hard to cook a little extra at nights and bring your black bean casserole, soup, or chili to work throughout the week.

Less is More
Many starchy and carb-loaded foods take time to expand in your stomach to tell your body that it’s full, which causes you to still feel hungry after eating. Big meals take more effort to digest, which works your body harder and results in less oxygen and nutrition reaching your brain.

Another way to keep your energy level up during work is to spread your meals into smaller portions throughout the day instead of a big meal at lunch. Eating frequent, healthy snacks will keep your metabolism going and help you feel energized. Foods like fruits provide long-lasting carbs full, leaving you feeling energetic hours after consumption. Eating fiber in granola and oatmeal can also help keep you from feeling hungry and give you a vigorous boost as the day continues.

You don’t have to struggle keeping tempo with your after-lunch work schedule. If you eat healthier, smaller portions, you can maintain a high level of energy while feeling full and content all day. What are some foods you like to eat at lunch that keep you going all day?

Avoid Getting Sick This Season

Cold and flu season is upon us, and if your workplace is fighting off a mass of sick days there are a few things you can do to stay healthy. It’s important to know that germs can live on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours and that fingers carrying the flu virus can contaminate up to seven clean surfaces. So with that in mind, how are you going to prevent the spread of germs?

Keep Things Clean

While it may be hard to control whether or not your conference tables, door handles, and office equipment have been recently sanitized, you can keep your own hands clean. Make sure you wash your hands often throughout the day, with soap and water and dry them with paper towels or an air dryer. Keep hand sanitizer at your own work station, using it when you get back to your area after coming in contact with high traffic areas. Avoid touching your face after shaking hands or touching a door handle. Carrying germs into your airways through your mouth or nose is an easy way to get sick.

Clean your own work station as well. Think about your phone, keyboard, mouse, machines, and workspace. Consider cleaning them daily when colds are popping up around your office, it should only take about 10 minutes if you don’t have a lot of clutter, and the added benefit could be your increased productivity for having a clean workspace. Make sure you use cleaners that are safe on the surfaces you are cleaning and can kill germs. 

Don’t Share …, In Favor of Staying Well

Try to keep the things you share, like pens and staplers, with others to a minimum. Splurge on a packet of unique pens that you really like and always keep one handy so you aren’t tempted to use the office pen that is likely covered with germs. Take the extra steps back to your workstation to use your own stapler, scissors, tape, or other equipment to avoid the germs left behind on shared tools.

Stay Home When You’re Sick

It sounds easier said than done, but now is the time to use your sick leave or sacrifice a day out for the greater good. While you may feel pressure to come into work when you are sick, try to be reasonable about how productive you’ll be when you are running a fever and taking cough medicine every few hours. You may think you are helping your team by coming in sick, but you may be starting a round of sick days taken by your co-workers when you spread your germs. Additionally, if you work in a service position, consider how your customers will feel having to purchase something from someone who is sneezing and coughing everywhere. Nobody likes to be ill, and your co-workers don’t want to be around you when you are under the weather. If you communicate with your supervisor in an honest and direct way, you shouldn’t fear calling in sick. Taking a day out to prevent everyone else from getting sick also shows your dedication to your team.

Do you have any good tips to share on staying health this winter? What is your workplace plan for keeping everyone healthy?

 

By Rachel Rudisill

Clean Your Workplace in 5 Minutes

Monday, Jan. 9 is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. It originated from Anne Chase Moeller, who is the daughter of one of the co-founders of Chase’s Calendar of Events, a publication showcasing special events, federal and state observances, and holidays. She often helped out at her father’s office, but he had an incredibly messy desk. Just for Anne to work, she had to cover the mess with a cloth and remove the cloth when she finished. Getting so frustrated with the mess, she made her father promise to clean off his desk at least once a year. To enforce it, they put National Clean Off Your Desk Day in Chase’s Annual Events book in 1982 as the second Monday of every January.

The old saying “a cluttered desk is a sign of genius” isn’t always true, and a messy desk can interfere with your productivity at work. To help celebrate National Clean Off Your Desk Day, here are some quick hints to help you clear the workplace clutter and boost efficiency at work.

Trash Your Stash

Take a minute to quickly glance around your workspace. Odds are there will be some crumpled up pieces of paper, candy wrappers, empty paper cups, or junk mail laying around. If you have to ask whether it’s trash or not, don’t throw it away just yet. You can deal with that later. All you need to do right now is a basic sweep of your area for any obvious trash. As you scan, take the junk and throw it away. Don’t give too much thought in deciding if something is worth keeping or not. Just use a minute to locate and toss any obvious trash.

Proper Paper Piling

Write down all of your daily work duties like bills, receipts, invoices, reports, phone messages, or any other reasons you need to keep and separate pieces of paper. Take stacks from your work area and sort the papers into an area that matches one of your daily tasks list. You don’t need to figure out or make decisions on the tasks themselves, just sort them into neater stacks. It’s possible you’ll have to add categories as you sort, and you might find trash-worthy items along the way.

There’s no Place Like Home

Now that the paper is organized, look for miscellaneous items like books, folders, and tools that are lying around and put them back where they belong. You should try to keep your books and folders organized on a shelf or some place that’s easy to reach, but separate from your workplace. If you find items that don’t have a home in your work place yet, find a location that is away from the area you work in the most and come back to it later. 

Seal with Sanitation

Now that everything is squared away or organized, take a minute to grab disinfectant wipes, or spray and a paper towel, and quickly wipe down the areas with high traffic in your workspace. For many, the workspace is like a second home and more time is spent there than anywhere else. It’s important to keep that place clean not only from clutter, but also from germs and bacteria.

Be a Rock Star Worker

Congratulations! Your office is now cleaner and more organized. Now that you’ve taken the time to organize your stacks into categories, you have a clear list of duties to take care of when you get back to work. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish if you take 10 to 15 minutes a day to deal with the piles of papers. Just deal with one category at a time and figure out your next plan of action on each piece of paper or information. What do you plan to do with all the free time achieved by your newly-found productivity? What are some quick and easy ways you’ve cleaned your workspace? Let us know in the comments section.

Tech Etiquette 2.0, Using Modern Technology in the Workplace

With technology changing and upgrading at lightning-fast speed, the increasingly diverse generations working together have to deal with the different views and customs each generation has with technology. Newer generations just entering the workforce have a different way of dealing with social media. Last year, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a study revealing teenagers spend an average of 53 hours a week engaged in electronic media, which doesn’t include the 90 minutes they spend texting every day.

It can be difficult trying to figure out what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in the workplace regarding modern technology like MP3 players, smartphones, and social media sites. If you follow this easy guide, you’ll be able to better figure out how to enjoy your gadgets without disrupting those around you.

Company Culture

It’s important to double check your company’s policies and procedures. More companies are adopting social media policies every year and it’s important to reassess what is considered acceptable use of modern technology at work. You should also be mindful of your employer’s culture and unspoken etiquette. Some companies may be more relaxed on their policies and won’t punish you for having your phone out while working. Others might block access to certain social media sites or request you leave some devices in the car.

Know When to Talk and When to Text

Emails and text messages have been great tools to save time and effort by giving you the chance to send messages to anyone, anywhere. Thanks to modern messaging, the need to attend long meetings or conference calls has been reduced. But, nothing can duplicate the real connections you get with face-to-face conversations. If you’ve sent a message to a co-worker and haven’t heard back, leave your workstation and visit your colleague.  It’s easy for text messages and emails to get overlooked in the shuffle of life, but a real phone call or office visit can guarantee your message is received.

Don’t Plug Me

Thanks to the popularity of MP3 players like Apple’s iPod, younger employees have grown accustomed to a kind of culture where headphones are used just about anywhere except in class. If your employer allows headphones while working, be courteous and inform your co-workers that you will be using them and find a reasonable volume so it won’t disrupt them as they work. When colleagues approach you, take out your headphones and devote your complete attention to them. You may feel like you can do both, but it’s a gesture of respect to take out your headphones when talking to your co-workers.

Buzzing is For Bees, Not Your Phone

You may feel like you’re doing your workmates a favor by silencing your latest ringtone, but if you leave your phone on your desk or hard surfaces near your workstation, the vibration could be heard by everyone around you. If you have to have your phone with you, turn the vibration off or put it in your pocket so the buzzing will be muffled.

Social Media is Not a Playground

Just because you use Facebook, Twitter, or a personal blog profile to talk about life on your free time, it doesn’t mean you should involve work or your co-workers without permission. What happens in social media is there forever. What you say can and sometimes will come back to find you. Think twice before updating your status or writing a post about a co-worker with an annoying laugh, obvious hairpiece, or smelly odor.

Not only can having questionable content on your social media sites negatively impact your career, it can also impact those you work with. You may not be Facebook friends with your boss, but posting a video of you and a co-worker having a blast somewhere with the caption “we should be at work, lol” could get back to your boss.

Social devices have added some complications to proper etiquette in today’s workplace, but as long as you use good judgment and have respect for your co-workers, you can enjoy your gadgets while still being professional.

3 Ways to Get In A Good Mood at Work

We’ve all had those days at work where your attitude or outlook is holding you back from being in a good mood. Maybe your workload is piling up or you’ve had a conflict with a co-worker. Whatever the reason, you’re in a bad mood and still have several hours left in the workday. The key here is to break out of your negativity so you can get back to work, because if you think you’re grumpy now – hindering your productivity with a bad mood will only make things worse. So, how do you get into a good mood instantly?

Stage a Victory

Chances are you’ve got a list of things running through your head that need to get done. Is there a task on your list that has taken up permanent residency among your “to-do’s”? Now’s the perfect time to tackle that pesky task. This will take your attention away from your grumpy mood and focus it onto taking care of business instead. In addition, the rush of good feelings you’ll get from actually getting rid of, or getting a good start on, that project that has been hanging over you will put an end to unnecessary stress and frustration.

Reflect on Success

If you’re in a bad mood because you’ve failed at a task, take 10 minutes to take stock of your achievements. Most employees are held accountable to certain standards and goals on a regular basis, whether that is at weekly staff meetings, quarterly reports, or during an annual review, you’ll need to know how you are measuring up. Take some time to review your goals and see how they are matching up with your current productivity. It’s a great way to see how you’re contributing to the company and meeting or exceeding your goals. Additionally, this focus on your goals will recharge your focus putting you in a good mood to head back into your work day.

Address the Problem

If whatever is bothering you is within your realm of control, take direct action to solve it. If you need to apologize, don’t wait to do so. The problem – and your bad mood - will get bigger until you address the situation.  Once you’ve sought to resolve the conflict, you can move on. Wouldn’t that feel great? If what is bothering you is beyond what you can fix, take a few minutes to think about that. Is there anything you can do to improve the situation? If not, then why let it put you in a bad mood. All that is doing is letting something beyond your control take more control over you. Also, remember your allies and mentors. Send a quick email to your mentor or place a phone call to HR to get some advice that will allow you to feel like you’ve taken action, and then move on.

And if the ideas above don’t look like solutions for solving your bad mood, consider age-old tricks. Pump up your favorite type of music, likely setting off some memories of times you’ve enjoyed while hearing those tunes. Or take five minutes to take a quick walk around your workplace, giving you some time to cool off – and possibly locate some chocolate or other free office treat that is sure to improve your mood!

 

By Rachel Rudisill

High Powered Foods to Buff up Your Breakfast

Finding time in the morning to cook and eat breakfast can be a difficult task.  When living a busy and stressful work life, you need every minute you can get. Experts show breakfast is the most important meal of the day by relating skipping breakfast with type 2 diabetes. When you wake up, your body hasn’t consumed anything in more than eight hours and what you eat or don’t eat affects your metabolism and overall health.

Skipping breakfast can also lead to a lack of energy at work, which can impact your concentration and productivity. For many, settling for quick and easy items such as donuts, sugary cereals, and pastries on the way to work is normal, but those foods are unhealthy and can give you a short burst of energy with a sugar high that leaves you even more tired than before.

It’s important to have a mix of carbohydrates and proteins to not only give you a boost of energy, but also to help you maintain energy throughout your day. Most people know they need to eat better, but they may be tired of the same old bowl of oatmeal every morning. So here are some tasty breakfast ideas full of energy so your job performance can run on high-octane fuel.

Wonder Yogurt

Low-fat dairy products keep nervous systems going and can also keep you feeling full and satisfied. For extra nutrients, consider adding nuts or dried fruit to your yogurt. This can easily be put into a portable container and taken to work if time is of the essence. A quick way to add some variety and flavor to the healthier, but sometimes tasteless fiber rich bran cereal, is to replacing your milk with about eight ounces of lemon or vanilla yogurt. 

If regular cereal doesn’t sound appealing, consider layering granola or weat germ, fruits and berries, and yogurt into a parfait. There are several varieties and mixes of fruits you can try.

Super Smoothies

If you want to expand on using fruits and other natural ingredients but are constantly on the go, consider taking advantage of the breakfast smoothie. Not only are they sweet and flavorsome, but they’re healthy and give you energy too. Antioxidants and other phytochemicals in fruits can improve brain function and give you the same energy from your office coffee mug of caffeine without the midday crash.

There are several different recipes and combinations of smoothies that utilize common and exotic fruit. You can drink them during your commute or enjoy one at the office without disrupting your fellow co-workers.

Even though sugar from fruits is much healthier than processed sugar used in most pastries, try to avoid sugary smoothies and focus more on protein based smoothies as often as possible.

Whole Grain Heroes

Sometimes you’ll be stuck at a desk or station for a very long time, and you won’t always have access to a snack. Having foods with high protein like nuts and seeds keeps your metabolism under control and will help you stay full while at work because small amounts of fat help maintain energy and keep hunger at bay.

One easy way to make sure you get your whole grains and protein is to bake and prepare breakfast foods ahead of time. Foods like almond-honey bars can last for days and are easy to grab when you are in a hurry.

Just because work occasionally demands more of your time doesn’t mean you should ignore your health. Your well-being and energy can directly affect your job productivity and routine. Enjoying a nutritious breakfast doesn’t have to be time consuming and can help you tackle your busy schedule head on. What have you had for breakfast that keeps you full of energy?

Prim and Proper: Basic Rules for Workplace Etiquette

You accepted your first job offer after graduating from college and now work in a new world called the cubicle. Or, maybe you have just started a new job and your new employer and co-workers view interaction with each other in their workspace differently than you expected. No matter where you work, there’s always a workplace modus to help employees work better with each other.

Every job, employer, and industry is different in their work culture and what is and isn’t acceptable work behavior. So before assuming anything, check your employer’s policies and practices or ask colleagues about proper manners at work. But, here are a few basic etiquette tips to help you get along with your fellow co-workers.

Respect Your Boundaries

While some offices and cubicles have very open and relaxed borders where people enter and exit freely and openly share their ideas with others from a different area, not all workplaces are that open. Some work environments have boundaries for safety reasons, and you may need proper clearance or protective equipment before entering certain colleagues’ work zones. When in doubt, call and ask to visit their space to discuss something or arrange a meeting time. At a minimum, consider knocking and waiting until invited before barging in.

If a co-worker is busy on the phone, talking to someone else, or operating machinery, come back at a later time unless it’s an emergency. If they aren’t busy but look deep in thought, think twice before interrupting. Once you get to know your co-workers and understand their quirks and work style, it will become easier to tell when it’s good to approach them.

Also, avoid office gossip, even if it’s true. What you say and what you do reflects your professional image. Keep that in mind when conversing with workmates. Respect others’ privacy and your own by restraining from eavesdropping and revealing information too personal for work. If you need to make a personal phone call, make it short or take it outside.

Decorate with Taste

Your workspace is technically your own, but it is still a place of business and you should consider others when decorating it. While a cartoon or joke may be funny to you, it may be offensive to others. If you are old enough for a desk job, then you’re probably old enough to keep movie posters, risqué pop music idols, and toys at home. It’s important to portray a professional image even if you want to make your space more personal. When posting photos of family and loved ones, try to avoid photos of wild parties, use of alcohol, or any potentially offensive activities. If you want to completely redecorate or remodel your work space, come in an hour or two before or stay late after work so you don’t disrupt anybody.

Plants and foliage are good for sound bumpers, but tend to leak water, attract bugs, and drop leaves. Take the time to properly care for your plants. Also, be considerate of co-workers who may have allergies and reactions to different plants and foliage.

Odor Offence

Beware of excessive snacking at your work place. Not only does the sound of chewing and mess of wrappers tend to annoy others, but also the smell could be unappreciated. Others may be allergic to some snacks such as peanuts. Ask your co-workers if they mind you eating at your desk. Avoid strong odors like certain cheeses and fish that tend to linger, even if you eat them in a designated lunch room.

Pay attention to your smells while at work. Basic hygiene is important to remove unflattering body odor, but too much cologne or body sprays can be overbearing as well. Keep body scents to a minimum. You never know who does or doesn’t like your new brand of perfume.  

Different workplaces have different cultures of etiquette. It’s up to you to be mindful of what they are. If you are unsure of what is or isn’t allowed, just remember to be respectful to those around you to guide your actions. What are some office manners at your workplace?

3 Tricks to Relieving Workplace Tension

With the fast pace of the work environment and the desire to succeed, stressful situations can come up between you and your peers. Whether it’s a misunderstanding regarding a deadline, a conflict over limited resources, or a debate over the direction of a project, a tense environment among co-workers can create roadblocks in the workplace. Here are a few tips for an open and relaxed environment that fosters conflict resolution.

1. Have a Real Conversation
If you’re dealing with a co-worker conflict or know a subject might be touchy, skip email or phone conversations when possible in favor of a face-to-face conversation. A casual, impromptu conversation can set the stage for a relaxed discussion in which all parties are open to the idea of focusing on resolving the problem instead of focusing on their own agendas. If you must schedule a meeting to talk, versus just stopping by, make sure your email, phone message, or conversation regarding the scheduled meeting is clear and open. Don’t overstate the conflict, instead request a time to talk about resolving the challenge. The quicker you can meet the better, since leaving time to dwell on the upcoming meeting can create unnecessary anxiety.

If you can’t have a face-to-face conversation, schedule a conference call where all involved parties can speak together, rather than separate calls with each individual. Having individual calls, and then later referencing each conversation, will not develop the same trust and open communication as a shared call. 

2. Gather Perspective
While you may only think there are two options in resolving a problem, either your own or the other party’s, talk with non-involved peers to get some perspective and brainstorm alternative answers. Keep in mind, a solution that isn’t from either party involved in the tense circumstances may be the best starting point for a resolution. Don’t get others involved just to gossip about the problem or recruit peers into seeing things your way. Have private and respectful conversations with the goal of seeing things from another point of view.

Try researching how competitors are handling similar challenges to help you think of additional ideas. Speak with your mentor and ask for direction or how they have handled a similar problem. By keeping an open mind, you may uncover a way out that wasn’t on the table, and your first discussion may just be starting points to the best resolution.

3. Take a Break
Rather than reacting quickly to a tense problem, if time allows, take a break. At first blush, a challenge can seem much worse than it actually is. We’ve all heard the saying “when one door closes a window opens,” and in the heat of the moment it can be hard to see the opportunities offered through that window. Another saying that holds true in conflict resolutions is “it’s best to sleep on it.” Letting emotions cool down and giving your brain time to focus on an answer rather than the frustration of the challenge can set the stage for a more relaxed resolution.

Resist getting caught up in the heat of the moment. Keeping your cool, considering alternative solutions, and working toward a mutual answer will be the most productive resolution.

By Rachel Rudisill

Living at Your Desk

For most of us, we spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else. During the recession, positions may have been consolidated, and now with workloads peaking in some industries, the workweek is getting longer. So what do you need in your desk to survive at the office?

The Grooming Kit
You don’t want your 2 p.m. client meeting to know you had onions in your salad at lunch, so keeping items like breath mints, a toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, or mouthwash in your desk drawer isn’t a bad idea.  A small comb and hairspray may be handy for days when it’s windy or rainy and you have to lead a meeting. Your appearance creates a first impression, and you wouldn’t want that tainted by a bad hair day. For emergencies, keep pain relievers, antacids, and other medications on hand. You should also consider keeping deodorant or perfume on hand, just in case.

The Stationery Drawer
We’ve all heard that networking is key to professional development and a well-stocked stationery drawer can help with that. To foster deeper relationships, have blank or personalized notecards you can use for congratulatory or thank-you notes. When a peer is promoted or a co-worker chips in on a project, being able to write a quick personal note is a great way to show you care. And with the rarity of handwritten notes, you’ll really stand out. You may also want to stock up on inexpensive birthday, retirement, get well and sympathy cards so you can respond promptly to those occasions.

In line with stationery, make sure you have business cards and a portfolio with a notepad ready for last minute meetings. It will help keep you organized and looking professional in meetings. Have a system for storing business cards you receive into your electronic address book to make it easier to retrieve for correspondence.

The Kitchen Cabinet
While you don’t want a desk drawer full of rotting fruit, keeping a couple granola bars, packages of mixed nuts or crackers, or instant oatmeal on hand isn’t a bad idea to help you keep up your energy for a productive day. Having healthy snacks can offer you the right choice for crashing blood sugar or a growling stomach on a busy day. And if you want to win over your co-workers, you might consider stashing an emergency chocolate supply to celebrate hitting a deadline.

While you need to keep your desk and cubicle space clutter free, having some life essentials on hand can make “living” at the office a bit easier.

6 Tips To Foster Creativity

  
Creativity. I wish it were something that could be easily turned on. At the flip of a switch, life and work could become so much easier. But in the real world, working at fast pace day in and day out can be a challenge. Even for the most creative employees, the flow of ideas dries up sometimes.

How can you stay creative when your mind just doesn’t want to cooperate? Here are a few ideas that might help you shrug off the monotony of the daily grind and open your mind for innovation.

Identify Your Work Patterns
You know yourself better than anyone. When you’re faced with a challenge that needs a creative solution, take a look at your work. Is your mind fresh and ready to go as soon as you step foot in the office or do you need to go through your emails first? Make sure you slot time when your mind is at its best and your energy level is high to tackle a tough project.

Morning Routine
A bad routine can stop your productivity before the workday even starts. While creativity needs freedom and room to breath, having a morning routine can help harness and reel in those creative juices and put them to work. If you need a cup of coffee and to peruse through emails to jumpstart your brain, just be sure to allocate your time wisely. There’s work to be done and procrastination can add stress and hinder your creativity.

Don’t Be Distracted
Allowing yourself to lose focus can slam the brakes on your creativity. Instant gratification is the way we do business, and with the power of the Internet at our fingertips, distractions can be a mouse click away. Social networking, viral videos, news, and games can quickly take your attention away from work. If you’re easily tempted to check what’s going on in the Twitter world, try disabling your Internet to be more effective with your time managemet.

Get Feedback From Others
Listen to criticism about your work with an open mind. Critics with valid points can take your idea and help mold it into creative genius. Plus, as you learn to grow from criticism, you won’t be afraid to put your ideas out there and start proposing new solutions.

Allow Yourself to Be Inspired
Look for inspiration all around. Creativity can cease when you’ve been focused on the same thing for too long making it hard to think outside the box. You might find movies or listening to music a good way to get your creative juices flowing. Not all of us can pop in a movie when trying to approach a new project, but when you are out and find inspiration, jot down your ideas or leave yourself a voicemail at work to check into something further.

Take a Break
Sometimes all the tips and tricks cannot prevent the momentary loss of your creativity. There are times when the only cure is taking a breather in the form of a day off from work, taking a vacation, or using a weekend to rejuvenate, can help your mind recover. Rather than calling in sick, call in well. It’s best to plan this type of time off a bit in advance to prevent the stress of an unexpected absence. Taking a step back and allowing your mind to relax can help revitalize your creativity.

Being continuously creative and working at a high-level during the daily grind can be difficult. But by implementing a few tips, you can keep productive and generate creative ideas.