Ideas for Creativity Breaks

All of us need a bit of downtime to remain creative and think outside the box. Here are several ideas for taking a daily or weekly creative break — by yourself, with your loved ones or, virtually, with your colleagues:

1. Organize a virtual brainstorm session.
   Struggling to come up with a new idea? Schedule a virtual brainstorm session with your colleagues and bounce your ideas off each other via phone, FaceTime, Skype or Teams.
2. Stretch your legs.
   Every so often, get up, stretch your legs and take a brisk walk around your house or your block. Doing so will increase blood flow to your brain — and potentially get your creative juices flowing.
3. Get crafty.
   Gather art supplies from around the house, such as colored and charcoal pencils, crayons, markers and drawing paper. Place them in a container and leave them near your desk, so you can easily grab them when you need a creative boost. If you have little ones at home, ask them to join in on the fun, then display their creations.
4. Be colorful.
   Print coloring sheets and leave them on or in your desk to grab and color with pencils, crayons or markers whenever you need to de-stress. No printer at home? Try a coloring app, like Color Therapy or Pigment, or purchase an adult coloring book online.
5. Take a jump rope break.
   Jumping rope, even five minutes a day, is a great way to get the heart racing and ideas flowing. Take a jump rope challenge with your family members to see who can jump rope the longest without stopping.
6. Write something — anything.
   It could be a page in your journal, a short story, a poem, a letter to a friend…or your reasons to be grateful.
7. Learn a new language.
   Download a language app, such as Duolingo, and take a quick lesson or two each day. Learning a new language boosts brain power, improves memory and more.
8. Write and share some jokes.
   Humor increases creative thinking. Organize a video chat or text group with friends, family members or colleagues and take turns sharing your favorite jokes. Take a stab at writing your own.
9. Create your own sculpture.
   Use office supplies on or in your desk, such as binder clips, sticky notes, push pins or paper clips to create a sculpture.
10. Paint a work of art.
    You don’t need to be artistically talented to paint your own work of art. All it takes is your enthusiasm. Read this article on painting techniques and view some of the tutorials on YouTube to help you get started. No paint on hand? Make your own paint by mixing together water, flour and food coloring.
11. Energize with a 7-minute workout.
    If you have an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, download the top-rated 7 Minute Workout app — and get your body moving. No equipment is required, so it’s perfect for in-home workouts.
12. Play a brain game.
    Keep your brain sharp with online Sudoku or the free daily games on Lumosity — this is a brain training and mental fitness site that allows you to keep track of your results.
13. Meditate.
    Running out of interesting ideas? Take a few moments out of your busy, stressful day to meditate. Meditation can spark creativity.