Working from home comes with a ton of upside, but it’s not all Champagne and Caviar. There are a few drawbacks as well.
When you’re staring at the same walls every day things can get a bit stale and that can be a deathblow for your motivation.
So just how do you inspire creativity working from home without the help of a workplace environment?
Read on for 15 easy ways to light your creative spark while working remotely and sipping coffee in your backyard office.
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1| Personalize Your Space
You know what one of the best things is about being a solopreneur or remote worker based out of your own home?
It’s your space. You get to choose the decor.
Add some artwork or inspiring quotes on the walls of your office shed that get your creative juices flowing. That way every time you look up from your laptop screen they’re there to brighten your day.
If artwork doesn’t do it for you try some personal memorabilia — that collectible bobblehead in your bedroom may be just the thing to inspire you to keep going.
Let’s add one more.
Try introducing plants to personalize your home office and add a dash of color. As an added bonus, watering your plants can be a great task for a quick 5 minute break to refocus.
2| Practice Meditation and Relaxation Techniques
In the 60’s the Beatles went on a trek to visit the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to learn Transcendental Meditation.
Why? Because they believed it could help them get back on track making great music.
You don’t have to travel to India to practice meditation and relaxation techniques and they’re a great way to shred stress from your life.
Letting the weight of deadlines and family obligations get you down can definitely be a creativity killer.
There are tons of great apps you can use for this or simply set a timer for five minutes, close your eyes and just breathe!
3| Sharpen and Expand Your Mind
Routine’s boring.
Doing the same thing every day can get old fast.
If you want to avoid a rut that can tank your creativity take some advice from Stephen R. Covey and “Sharpen the Saw”.
What does that mean?
It means expand your mind with different interests. Myself, I like to take a break and play the guitar when I’m losing focus.
There are few things in this life more inspiring than music!
Now you don’t have to learn how to play the guitar, but you should take time to practice your other interests in life — even if it’s in the middle of your work day.
That’s what sharpening the saw is all about.
It’s about balance and renewal.
Before you know it, the creative ideas will be flowing through you again.
4| Work Away From Home
When the four walls of your home start to feel like a prison, it’s time to pack up and leave. Not for good, just for the day.
Make a point of working out of a coffee shop, park or even the public library once in a while. Mixing things up can be highly motivational.
You can hear some interesting conversations at your local cafe and run into some fun and motivational people just be stepping out of your home.
Get out there!
At your 9 to 5 you had coworkers to inspire you, at home you have to get a little more creative and leaving the home office for a few hours a week may just be the answer.
5| Inspire Creativity Working From Home With Collaboration and Community
Even solopreneurs need friends and mentors.
It’s great that your building a business on your own. Kudo’s for you, but you can’t do it all alone.
We all need other people to bounce ideas off, collaborate with or just to chat with.
If you don’t know many people in your field, head online. Find a Facebook community, hit up Reddit or Quora. There are all kinds of ways you can do this.
Your community might inspire you in unexpected ways.
Exposing yourself to new people and new ideas is a simple way to get past that mental block and boost your productivity.
6| Take Time For Yourself
For me, one of the best things about working from home is that I don’t have to worry about a strict schedule.
I can take time for myself whenever I need it. You should too.
Suffering from writers block?
Close that laptop and take some time to play with the kids or take your mom to that doctors appointment.
Don’t worry the work will still be waiting for you when you get back.
Inspiration can be sparked in a single moment. It might even hit you while sitting in the dentist office.
Sometimes you need to step away from a problem to find the answer. Let those thoughts simmer. Ideas will come when you least expect them.
7| Walk In The Snow, Rain or Sunshine
I can’t think of many better ways to inspire creativity working from home than a mind clearing walk.
It worked for Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1984 when he was trying to decide if it was time to retire from politics.
Instead of struggling with his thoughts, he took a walk to clear his mind and that helped him make the decision that it was time to go.
I’m not saying you should retire. The point here is that a walk in the snow, rain or sunshine can be a great way to clear your mind and find your creativity and the answers you need.
8| Be Curious
There’s a difference between procrastination and curiosity.
The trick is to find the right balance between the two.
It’s tempting to rush through something and try to complete a task as quickly as possible, but it’s not always the best approach.
Sometimes you need to go down that rabbit hole and see where it takes you. If Lewis Caroll hadn’t, we’d never know the timeless classic Alice in Wonderland.
Be like Alice. Be curious.
Read those articles and books, even if they’re outside your area of expertise. Step out of your comfort zone and you’ll find that creativity.
9| Step Into Someone Else’s Shoes
If there’s one take away I hope to give you from reading this article, it’s that sometimes you have to be willing to try just about everything that’s legal to find your next great idea.
A unique approach you may want to try is to step into the shoes of someone else.
Think about someone you admire or aspire to emulate and ask yourself how they would approach the task your stuck on.
Are you inspired by the genius of Steve Jobs? Try to think like he would.
Or perhaps Mr. Beast is someone you look up to.
It doesn’t matter who it is.
Your goal is just to find new ways to approach an issue.
It works!
10| Look to Your Pets For Inspiration
When I first started my journey as a freelance writer I’d often find my self struggling to find that next word.
Then my dog would waltz into the room and plop her paw on my lap as if to say “chin up, you’ve got this”.
It was often just the push I needed to get through the next paragraph.
Our pets are important parts of our lives and they can do strange and humorous things. They’re a great source of inspiration.
Take a few minutes to give your pets the love and attention they need and you just might find that creative genius that’s been alluding you.
11| Inspire Creativity Working From Home With A Bedside Journal
Ever have a great idea when you’re just about to wake up? Only to forget it 5 minutes later? It happens to all of us.
I’m convinced some of the best ideas I’ve ever had have been lost to the land of sleep.
A couple of years back I decided to do something about it.
I started keeping a bedside journal to record those fleeting eureka moments.
Call it an idea book.
I’m not saying everything I record in that book is gold, but there are enough to make it worth the effort for sure.
Why not give it a try?
12| Innovate and Experiment Often
Some people love routine, but even people who love to create lists stray off the path from time to time.
That’s because doing the same thing over and over again is boring.
You want to dull your creativity? Do that.
Don’t be afraid to try new innovative ways and experiments that are outside your normal approach to things.
If took Thomas Edison 2774 attempts to invent his working lightbulb, but without it we’d all still be lighting our way with candles.
Don’t worry about failing the first time. Get creative and experiment and you’ll find success.
13| Always Make Time to Learn New Things
One of the things I love most about being a Backyardpreneur is that there’s always something new you need to learn.
Even if you’re working remotely for a company this still applies. If you want to get ahead you need to be willing to learn new things.
You might want to set a goal every 3 to 6 months to learn something new that can expand your knowledge and view of the world.
I’m a big fan of podcasts and Youtube.
You could also take online courses, attend webinars or attend in person classes on something you want to learn to help your business.
By allowing yourself the time to expand your knowledge base, you’re adding to your creative arsenal.
14| Take Time for Laughter
Do you find time for laughter in your day?
You should.
Even reading a few silly dad jokes can put you in a creative mood.
Laughter does wonders for our mood and can put you in a better frame of mind to find innovative answers.
Scrolling through a few short funny videos is a great way to bring a smile to your face and help get you through a tough spell in your day so you can get back to work on your backyard business
One more thing.
15| Take Time for Rest
Take time to rest.
It’s tempting to pull an all-nighter to finish a big project, but it rarely ever works.
Your brain needs fuel. That fuel isn’t just food.
You need enough rest to think clearly and without sleep your creativity will suffer.
It’s better to go to bed early and tackle outstanding issues in the morning. You’ll have a fresh perspective and chances are you’ll find the answer you where looking for without much of a struggle.
Hopefully you’re now feeling inspired and ready to take the WFH world by storm!
