It is easy to feel bored or uninspired at work. Perhaps you feel burned out from the amount or type of work you have to do, or long for that upcoming vacation. If you are having trouble coming up with fresh ideas for projects or presentations, try some of these ideas to improve your outlook and get your creative juices flowing! 1. Take Breaks

Sitting at your desk for hours at a time can drain your energy and inspiration. Taking a break away from your desk can help you recharge and come up with ideas. If the weather is nice, take a walk outside. The sunshine and fresh air may inspire you to come up with ideas you had not considered.

2. Change Routines

Tedium can set in if your routine becomes too familiar, making workdays feel endless and projects difficult. Director of Client Services for Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of North Carolina Camille Stell writes in her article for Carolina Paralegal News recommends changing your routine to shake things up. Whether that means changing where you park or taking a different route to your desk, changing up your routine from the usual.

3. Try a Mind Map

While a fairly traditional way to come up with ideas, creating a mind map can help you brainstorm ideas effectively. One way to make a mind map is to put the problem you are dealing with in the center of a page of paper, and write out ideas from it that extend outwards like branches on a tree. Fast Company’s Work Smart videos, like this one, can help you come up with other ways to use mind mapping in your work.

4. Use Mental Priming

Finding inspiration from hard-working mentors or colleagues can help you begin to develop your own ideas. But did you know you can increase your creativity thinking about people like Lady Gaga? Entrepreneurs-Journey.com’s article, “How to Enhance Creativity,” discusses mental priming, which is the idea that thinking of someone who inspires you in some way can help you develop creative expression.

5. Discuss Ideas with Others

Sometimes it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. In other words, an innovative idea may emerge, but you have trouble finding it among other thoughts. Talking out your ideas with colleagues may help you uncover some gems and better define what you struggled with assignments previously.

Written by M.L. Harris