My Top 5 List for Top 5 Enthusiasts
I enjoy writing, advising, discussing and venting on my blog, but I’d really like to avoid taking it in the direction of the proclaimed self-improvement blogs out there on the web. I’m not referring to anyone or any blog in particular, because lots have helped me, but I’m really annoyed by the saturation of the bloggers creating their “Top 5″ lists on “Better Email Productivity,” “Talking To Your Boss,” “Working with Generation Y,” and “Things College Won’t Teach You.” You know what I’m talking about.
These generalist lists are overdone, and in my opinion, not helpful. Write something different. Read people with experience and clout. Be weary and skeptical of what you read online. A lot of these top whatever lists will just work against your ambition.
Ben Casnocha consistently has original, helpful and interesting content. He has a useful blog, because he takes the time to write helpful, interesting posts with applicable information. He doesn’t just make top whatever lists on concepts he has no experience with. He takes ideas and concepts he has experience with, and turns them into posts with value.
Any schmuck with a Wordpress or Blogspot account can make up a Top 5 list of tips on productivity. If you really want to be more productive, try reading some Tim Ferriss, David Allen or Merlin Mann, or maybe pick up one of their respective books. I also have a tip for you. Take a break from compulsive email checking. I’ve worked in the corporate environment, and even at the most prestigious firms, email is like crack. You’d be amazed at what can get done if you take an email hiatus.
Where am I going with this? Call me hypocritical, but I’m going to publish my own Top 5 list. I’m not going to give you a Top 5 list on “Keys to Workplace Romance,” but on how to come up with some fresh ideas so you can avoid the useless Top whatever lists. Writer’s block? Creativity block? Frustrated? Follow me.
Top 5 Ways to Improve your Idea Generation (so you can stop writing stupid Top 5 lists)
1. Change environments. Get out of the office, classroom or library. Go outside and stare into the bright sun. Take a walk down one of your local nature trails. Go to your local swim club and swim laps (or push kids into the pool). Go to your friends house and play ping-pong. You’d be surprised how the ideas and creativity starts flowing as soon as you get out of your idle work environment. If you happen to be in Spain, this is one of my favorite locations with beautiful scenery, sculpture, and space to lay out.
2. Do something artistic. I studied oil painting in Florence, Italy for four months, and some of my most creative and applicable ideas flowed through my cranium while painting. It’s meditative and therapeutic. If you aren’t artistically inclined, then go to a museum. Just being around history, vibrant colors and visual creativity will get your mind racing. Can’t get out of the office? Listen to some music. For creative purposes, I’d recommend the Talking Heads Fear of Music or The Beatles The White Album or Sgt. Pepper’s
3. Do something athletic. Go to the gym and lift weights or run on the treadmill. Take a few yoga or martial art classes (I recommend Aikido; I’m currently a student). Go outside and run until you drop. Push yourself. You’d be surprised how affective physical activity can be on brain activity, not just for creative purposes, but for stress reduction as well.
4. Stop trying. You aren’t going to find a girlfriend if you keep looking for one, and you aren’t going to come up with a new groundbreaking idea if all you do is think about coming up with them. Take your mind somewhere else, and you’ll start unconsciously pondering and recalculating in the back of your mind. Ever go to sleep and wake up with an idea? This is exactly what’s going on.
5. Read this. There is a reason why they call the day Bob Dylan met The Beatles the most important day in the history of rock and roll. I’m not encouraging it, but it may work for some people.
