Perhaps you’re ambitious, or maybe you just want to get through the day and do the 150 things you need to finish before going home due to layoffs / eliminating positions when people retire.
Your office has a door that goes two ways for a reason, make sure that you use it!
You could go to a coffee shop and sip a cup of tea, or go for a walk and observe the local squirrel population. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you focus on something other than work.
If you take a short break once a day I guarantee that you will feel better and be more productive afterwards. Taking a total break is one of the best ways to inspire inspiration but it’s pretty traditional.? Here are some unconventional ways to find some inspiration.
Play for the Future:
TEDxBG Steve Keil: A Manifesto for Play, for Bulgaria and Beyond
While some might say I take my work overly seriously what many people miss don’t realize is that I’m probably one of the silliest people they know. I just save all my silly for my home life (apologies to my husband for my excessive silliness, but not really because he knew what I was like before we got married). I enjoy silly things and was once told my propensity for being silly was only exceeded by the silly people I gathered around me. One silly friend and I once presented our summer research as a fairy tale complete with chocolate loving witches. No matter how serious I may appear at times, play and fun are just as important to a happy balanced me. Don’t take my word for it, listen to Steve’s talk complete with facts to support our anecdotal belief that play is essential to inspiration, innovation, and a healthy work environment. (This is good I listened to it twice!)
Novel Sources of Inspiration:
The Anthropologist
Although this website is managed by Anthropologie, this site is not commercial. Rather it is a site dedicated to inspiration and imagination. Through video and pictures with captions they tell their stories. Lose yourself in their stories, from the video of the beautifully talented dance of The Little Ballerina, to Urnatur a photo and video journey showcasing the woodland home created by Hakan Strotz, forester, and his wife Ulrika Krynitz, biologist and modern designer.
Exploring Others’ Sources of Inspiration
Etsy is a website that features handmade goods direct from the creators. You can buy everything from bath soap to original oil paintings and wood furniture. I always like to see what’s featured on the front page, if you scroll all the way down you can see recently added items in a constantly moving stream. Want to find out what inspires those who sell and create? Check out the Etsy blog, frequently updated with stories about potters, artists, master woodworkers, etc.
What do you do for inspiration? Please share in the comments.
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