Seven Ways To Train Your Brain For Creative Thinking

Most of us don't have access to transcutaneous direct current stimulation headbands that would enable us to switch off the left prefrontal cortex so we can think outside the box. There are other ways, however, to train your brain for creative thinking. Here are ten.

1. Cross-train your brain.

Even if you have to multi-task, you don't necessarily have to do the same multiple tasks all the time. Set aside times of day you don't answer your cell phone, you don't do instant messaging, you don't text, or you don't watch TV. If you then still multi-task, at least you will be doing it in a different way.

2. Cultivate quiet time.

Quiet time can be used for meditation (see below), but it's not the same as meditation. Quiet time is about having some time you don't have to respond immediately to people and devices. Even if it is just 15 minutes a day, find some time every day that you are untethered to electronic communication and the Internet so you can focus on activities that are physically at hand.

3. Prepare for activities without anticipating them.

Be ready for multi-tasking (keep your cell phone charged, pay your Internet bill, keep some gas in the car tank) without rehearsing the ideas "I have to keep my cell phone on in case a salesperson calls," "I have to use Firefox instead of Chrome," and "Must drive to soccer match. Must drive to grocery store. Must pick up kids." Do all those things, but don't bother anticipating them. Keep a physical written list of things to do without making a mental checklist of the day's activities. Then refer to your list occasionally to make sure you didn't leave anything undone.

4. Allow yourself to experience information in a variety of ways.

Some of us tend to remember things in terms of images. Some of tend to remember things in words. Some people can't quote a conversation without using their hands. If you tend to have a visual memory, say something aloud to make a mental note of it. If you tend to have a verbal memory, envision an activity or a fact as you repeat words about it. If you tend to have a kinesthetic memory, try to remember events and facts descriptively rather than as just physical experiences.

5. Schedule time to relax.

The only time to be creative is right now. Limit your to-do list so you have at least a few minutes every day for the entirely unexpected.

6. Remember, multiple answers always exist.

Take advantage of the minor breakdowns in your life, the cell phone going out, the car breaking down, and so on, to find entirely different ways of going about your daily activities. Sometimes the change will be for the better.

7. Make time to meditate.

Meditation enhances mindfulness as it opens new pathways in the brain. Instead of flitting attention from task to task, meditation opens the mind to entirely unexpected thoughts. Meditation can feel like a complete waste of time, until one day you realize you have changed your life for the better by getting out of the rut of multi-tasking all day, every day.