We live in a busy world, in which, many times, it can be complicated to be inspired . Some people, especially those working in creative professions, must possess a great capacity for inspiration.

Inspiration often appears when we are relaxed and our state of mind is ideal, because when we feel tired or stressed, our mind and our creativity are affected.

Tips for inspiration

In the following lines you can find a list of tips that will help you get inspired, have better ideas and carry them out.

1. Meditate

Meditation is an ancient practice that helps to connect the body with the mind and helps us to be in the present moment . This ancient technique has become fashionable in the West because of its benefits for health, concentration and creativity. Scientific studies have shown that meditation helps to reduce stress, improves the immune system, the ability to pay attention, helps to empathise with others, increases tolerance to pain and improves memory and other cognitive functions.

In fact, some research has shown that it changes the functioning of our brain, as you can read in our article: “Meditation produces changes in the brain, according to science”.

Without a doubt, meditation is a great alternative to clarify the mind and therefore favors the state of calm that allows you to generate more ideas and feel more inspired. However, meditating is not easy.

  • If you want to know how to do it, you can read our article: “How to learn to meditate, in 7 simple steps”

2. Hydrate

Water is essential for life, but also for being concentrated and having a clear mind . Therefore, we must be properly hydrated, as this will help us to be in a suitable state of inspiration. Dehydration, on the other hand, will lead to lack of concentration and fatigue. We must bear in mind that the mental processes that lead to innovative and original ideas are complex mental operations and that, when the means to maintain the organism are scarce, other bodily functions begin to take priority.

3. Don’t stop reading or doing activities related to the source of inspiration

Reading is always good for keeping an active and intelligent mind , and is key to generating ideas thanks to the knowledge we acquire. If inspiration refers to writing, reading is essential.

Being inspired can be necessary to, for example, play the guitar. The more we perfect our skills, the better we will be at it and the more experience we will have to generate ideas. Creativity and obsession often go hand in hand, even if some people think they don’t.

4. Rest

While it is true that spending time on the activity related to what we want to inspire us can help us to be inspired, it is also good to have the mind rested to find that ideal state . Sleeping properly and pausing from time to time if we are doing the activity can be beneficial in generating new ideas.

5. Disconnect

You might be forcing the situation for a while because you get inspired. Don’t despair and, as discussed in the previous point, you can take a break and go back to the activity again. This break will help you to clear your mind and be more inclined to have good ideas .

6. Create a conducive environment

The environment around us is key to being inspired . That is why many people look for quiet places to reflect. Other people, however, prefer some background music. Whatever environment you prefer, once you detect it, you can create it to encourage your inspiration.

7. Display the target

When you can’t get inspired, many times this happens because you don’t know the reason well or you don’t have a clear idea of the objective. For example, if you are a writer, you need to be well informed about the subject you want to deal with, but also who it is aimed at and what the objective of what you are going to do is. Answering these questions can help you to turn on the light bulb .

In this way, we will encourage our thoughts to be directed towards a specific objective, instead of wandering from one idea to another without any pretension to create a coherent set of ideas.

8. Apply creativity techniques

There are different techniques that can allow you to be more creative and inspired. For example, if you are looking for group inspiration, the brainstorming technique is useful. To learn more about this topic, you can read our article: “Brainstorming: is it really effective?

However, this is not the only useful technique and, in fact, there are many exercises that can help you be inspired, among them: the draft technique, good bad interesting, scamper, the six hats, etc.

  • To know more: 8 creative exercises to stimulate your mind

9. Research

Especially if you are a writer, it can be good to enrich your knowledge . Read a lot, as mentioned above, but also do some research. If you have to talk about a subject and you don’t know it very well, you have no choice but to learn about it.

New partnerships often come about because of the knowledge we already have, so if we expand the repertoire of information we have, it will be easier to come up with interesting, innovative ideas that can lead to stimulating projects.

10. Exercise

Doing sport or exercise brings many benefits on a psychological level, not just on a physical level. While it improves cardiovascular health, enhances the immune system and helps maintain body weight, it also promotes the release of happiness chemicals such as endorphins or serotonin, reduces stress, improves productivity and clears the mind, which can be key to being inspired.

11. Mindfulness beam

Although we have said that meditation promotes creativity, Mindfulness , which is also related to this ancient practice, also does so. Mindfulness includes meditation, but refers to a philosophy that aims to live in the present, in a non-judgmental way, and with self-compassion. It is ideal for connecting the mind with the body and for directing attention to the here and now.

  • Mindfulness improves creativity as explained in our article: “Mindfulness: 8 benefits of mindfulness”