It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, change it up! Here are 44 of my favorite tips to rejuvenate your thinking.
1. Take a 10-minute walk outside
2. Adjust the height of your chair and the height of your monitor
3. Go find an empty office or desk and squat for a few hours
4. Stand during an entire meeting
5. Work from home
6. Take a long shower
7. Go for a run
8. Ride a bike
9. Take a different road to work
10. Park on the opposite side of the building
11. Go on vacation for one whole week
12. Take a long lunch… outside the office
13. Go to a movie by yourself
14. Stay up all night reading a book
15. Spend a day volunteering at someone else’s nonprofit
16. Blogsurf for two hours
17. Subscribe to magazines outside your field of expertise
18. Rearrange the furniture
19. Surround yourself with plants
20. Sign up for a free web-based product that you may or may not ever use again
21. Put up interesting or thought-provoking artwork
22. Go to the library
23. Start attending free lectures
24. Find an event on Meetup.com
25. Eat at a restaurant you’ve never been to before
26. Take a long bath
27. Do something slightly illegal
28. Listen to music while you work
29. Stop listening to music while you work
30. Listen to interesting podcasts like NPR’s RadioLab, Freakonomics, and Stuff You Should Know
31. Make a lowball offer on something you really want but can’t afford
32. Go camping
33. Unplug for the weekend by turning off your cell phone and not checking email
34. Write down thoughts at the end of every day
35. Change your computer background
36. Stretch
37. Set goals
38. Talk to yourself
39. Look at things upside down
40. Go home at 3
41. Open a window
42. Take a nap
43. Draw/sketch/doodle
44. Read cartoons for 30 minutes
What techniques work best for you?