Every writer has been there. Your ideas have vanished, inspiration is nowhere to be found, and a blank document has never looked so irritating. 30 minutes later and you hate every one of the 100 words you’ve forced out so far. Luckily, there could be a simple, mood-boosting way to replenish your creative stores when you hit a writing slump.
Boosting Creativity
Marily Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz of Stanford University have found that walking has a big impact on creativity. In their study, undergraduate psychology students were given the name of an object, such as a button or tyre, and asked to think of alternative uses for the item. In their results, 81% of students demonstrated improved creative output while walking on a treadmill, when compared to taking the same test sitting down.
Further testing showed that walking provided a residual boost to creativity after the physical activity ended. In other words, you will not only be able to generate more imaginative ideas while walking, but when you return to your desk, too.
Walking Indoors vs Outdoors
The researchers tested participants by walking them on a treadmill, but this activity is not practical or possible for most people. If you have time to walk during the work day, chances are you will stroll around your neighbourhood or the streets close to your office.
In light of this, Oppezzo and Schwartz’s study sought to compare the results of walking on a treadmill with walking through a university campus. They found that while walking outdoors improved creative performance compared to sitting down indoors, it was not significantly different to walking indoors on a treadmill. Walking, rather than being outdoors, was the driver of creativity. The researchers noted that further investigation was required to determine whether other forms of gentle exercise, such as rolling oneself in a wheelchair, may be equally as effective as walking outdoors.
Holistic Benefits of Being Outside
Although the study didn’t find a huge difference between walking indoors and outdoors, there is a plethora of evidence supporting the value of walking outdoors for our overall wellbeing.
Getting outside in nature is proven to be good for our mental health. In her feature “Nurtured by nature”, Kristen Weir writes that getting outdoors reduces stress, restores our concentration and has emotional benefits. Those who live in urban cityscapes need not be excluded, as there is evidence that looking at pictures of nature can improve attention and boost positive emotions.
A study by Berman, Jonides and Kaplan found that walking in nature restores attentional capacities that have been exhausted. Upon returning from a walk, your performance of difficult tasks will be improved. Walking is therefore not only helpful for creativity, but also for alleviating cognitive saturation.
Giving Your Idea Legs
If you are struggling with any stage of a task, you can stimulate creativity with the following steps.
- Pay attention to saturation. If it feels like you’re wading through treacle, it is probably time to stop. Rather than trying to thrash it out, go for a short walk instead.
- Block out time for walks. You might think that your work is going just fine, but getting outside could give you the inspiration you might not otherwise have had. Try to get into the habit of going for a walk once each work day to maximise this creative tool.
- Choose a quiet area. Depending on where you work, try to choose streets or areas that will be quieter. A busy location can feel too distracting when you’re hoping to come up with a creative solution.
- Put your phone away. Try to avoid interruptions that might prevent ideas from surfacing. Keep your phone in your pocket and leave your mind free to generate new concepts.
- Remember pen and paper. To get the most out of your walk, make sure you’re ready to write down ideas while you’re out.
- Keep an open mind. No idea is too silly for your notepad. Write down all ideas that come to you, no matter how far-fetched. With a little tweaking, a crazy idea might turn out to be your biggest success yet.
- Don’t force an idea to come. If you set out with your mind firmly fixed on your work task, you may be less likely to come back feeling triumphant. Instead, take time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of the walk itself. Much like the incubation period of a Eureka moment, if you stop thinking about work and leave your mind to roam, you may be more likely to find a solution or feel creativity begin to brew.
When the ideas won’t come or you feel creatively exhausted, going for a walk could be the answer. Walking not only supports your physical and emotional wellbeing, but could also be one of the simplest ways to boost your creativity. Commit to making time to walk, take paper and a pen, and write down even the craziest of ideas. When you get back to your desk, you’ll be ready to get started again.
If the ideas still won’t come or you’ve reached saturation, ease the pressure and book expert health writing with me.