Are you facing a project or decision at work that has you stumped? Follow Christopher Columbus's lead and find your solution when you think outside the box.
Change the Scenery
The same four walls of your office or company's conference room feel familiar, but they do nothing to cultivate creativity. Try rearranging your office, moving the meeting to a different room or taking a walk. The change in scenery might be exactly what your brain needs to jumpstart creativity and innovation.
Draw a Picture
Most people approach problems with left-brain logic. So, if you're stuck, tap into your right-brained creativity as you grab markers or crayons and draw a picture. A few minutes of doodling can boost your ability to see outside conventional logic and discover your next great idea.
Study a Different Industry
Whether you're a lawyer, teacher or farmer, many of the same problems you face also affect people who work in other industries. Study web pages, trade magazines and books about other industries, and your chances of finding new angles or ways of looking at your problems increase.
Turn It Upside Down
Instead of staring at the page for hours, take a different approach. Turn the paper upside down, re-arrange the patterns or start at the end and work backwards. See what new ideas you spark when you turn your problem upside down.
Discover Why Things are Done One Way
Maybe part of your problem comes from doing things the same way they've been done for years. But do you even know why things are done the way they're done? The answers you need might show up when you turn away from traditions and make your own rules.
Columbus did more than discover the Americas. His example inspires you to think creatively. Do just that when you think outside the box and solve your problems this Columbus Day.