The 20 Minute Crimbo Creativity Refresh.
Working in the creative industries can take a lot out of you. Emotionally and psychologically. Long hours, tight deadlines, huge expectations, relentless pressure to deliver. Not quite the blizzard of hi-fives, flat whites, and sunny location shoots you were hoping for, is it?! Burn-out is an increasingly common job-hazard. And especially at this time of year. It’s cold, dark and you’re running on vapours. Every last drop of creative juice has been desiccated from you and all you want to do is sit in a dark room, wrap your head in a cold towel and have a quiet cry. We’ve all been there. But it’s not enough just to rest. You need to rest and refresh your creative superpowers, or you’ll start 2025 as flat as a cracker joke.
You can use this refresh anytime of the year. But Christmas is a uniquely good time to for it. Because it’s pretty much the only time of year that the whole world is having a sit down at the same time and the noise stops. So, make the most of it.
Much like the medical advice that suggests raising your heart rate for 20 minutes a day to stay physically and mentally healthy, engaging your mind in completely new ways for 20 minutes a day will keep your creative brain in rude health too. It also has the bonus of expanding your creative capabilities by firing up parts of your brain that you’ve neglected.
The Creative Refresh consists of 4 x 20-minute exercises. You only need to do one a day for the duration of the Christmas break and you will come back in January not only refreshed, but bursting with renewed creative energy and enthusiasm. The idea is to work through all 4 in any order, on rotation. And because the Refresh relies on continually surprising your brain with something different, don’t just stick with the one that you like best as it will become familiar and lose its impact. Now, you’re probably thinking “What?!? I’m too tired to start doing a load of new stuff, you idiot!? Leave me alone!” Don’t worry. Each one will give you a small, noticeable recharge that builds daily.
1. The 20-minute detour. We all follow patterns and familiar routes. And when we do, our brains atrophy. By taking the time to go a different way, you’ll alert your brain to all kinds of new and interesting stimulus that will get your synapsis popping again. Doesn’t matter what the purpose of the walk is, it could just be walking the dog, a walk to the tube or bus stop, the pub or the shops. Just go a different way.
2. The 20-minute upskill. For just 20 minutes a day you’re going to have a go at learning to play a musical instrument, speak another (ideally random) language, attempt to master a dance, learn to juggle, or whatever else you like the idea of. Go on to YouTube, the skill you’ve decided on will have a tutorial video to help you. Stick with it. You don’t have to be any good at it. That’s not the point. Laughing is. And so is firing up some of those dusty neurons that you’d forgotten you had.
3. The 20-minute listen up. There’s a good chance that you’ve read the same newspaper, or news-source, nodded along to the same radio station and followed the same people on socials for longer than you can remember. It’s not uncommon. We’re creatures of habit. For 20 minutes a day, try taking in some fresh voices, different opinions, beliefs and ideas. Ideally ones that challenge you. Step outside of your echo chamber and find out what the rest of the world is saying.
4. The 20-minute switcheroo. Try switching to your non-dominant hand to cook, text, make a coffee, or anything else you can think of. (Within reason, obviously!) This is all about doing familiar things in unfamiliar ways. It may only seem like a small thing, but it’s fantastically effective in nudging our sleepy brains. Our brains are labour-saving devices that stop concentrating and stop taking in all the new and interesting things that are going on around us, the moment we anything familiar. So, keep it unfamiliar. Switch it up.
Good luck. Stick with it for the full two week break and you’ll be in top shape for a fast start in January. You’ll also have a great time doing it. Wishing you all a restful and refreshing creative Christmas.