>> Work Better Create More
, /* Denise Jacobs <AngleBrackets /> Conference | Las Vegas, NV 29 October 2013 */

Twitter Hacks I am: .@denisejacobs
We’re at: #AngleBrackets And we’re going to #hackcreativity

I’ve always loved to create,
but…

But I was still afraid:
am I truly creative? Photo: Denise Jacobs

After writing this…

I had an epiphany
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055814772/

I realized that
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designandtechnologydepartment/4771136128/

Powerful and empowering
http://www.flickr.com/photos/assbach/267598910/

Thus, I speak, write, and
evangelize creativity Photo: Derek Kearney

Intro The State of the
Union

What’s our most important tool
for creating? http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/

Not these…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/plindberg/33867829/

This one!
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APSM_V14_D495_Side_view_of_the_brain_and_spinal_cord.jpg

Office-bound
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewf/393637161/

Time pressures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indraw/4857101224/

Managers

Clients
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clairity/154640125/

Bureaucracy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749431435/

Oppressed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johannahobbs/2412291551/

“Houston, we have a problem…”
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S70-34902.jpg

Instead of feeling like this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730492@N03/4958540694/

We end up feelig like
this

When we are in the
creative flow http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfear/289257055/

We are alchemists
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faust_image_19thcentury.jpg

“Creativity is newness produced.” -
Sir Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds

It feels like
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/2761300969/

“Creativity is magical, but it
is not magic.” - Dr. Charles Limb, Your Brain on Improvisation TED talk

Who here feels like they
are creative? http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/3135103537/

“Creativity is all about making
connections and seeing patterns.” - Bruce Nussbaum, Creativity Intelligence

Creativity is critical
http://business.time.com/2013/04/26/the-time-creativity-poll/

Understand the mechanisms of creativity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mag3737/304687602/

Let out all of your
great ideas http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/

“Creativity makes day to day
experiences more vivid, more enjoyable, more rewarding. When we live creatively, boredom is banished and every moment holds the promise of a fresh discovery.” - Mihali Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity

1 Emancipate & Adjust Our
Goals 2 Practice & Generate 3 Innovate & Produce

1
Emancipate
& Adjust

Current work culture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emayoh/4589881812/

Bad game of telephone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theory/3193684688/

Habits and thinking to quit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/4170136164/sizes/l/

Distractions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/529178002/

Multitasking
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/3041235238/

Zeigarnik Effect
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Zeigarnik_Effect

Communication addiction
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersdenken/2082816707/

Intermittent reinforcement http://www.flickr.com/photos/jepoirrier/422469526/ | http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristoferbjorkman/6910216819/
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/2671039488/

Busyness
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wester/504925076/

Internalized the critical voices
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeapalooza/553545517/

Become monsters in your head
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/

Instead of Creativity
Source: Flickr

Destructivity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevygee/3265941065/

“If your demons are such
that they fill the room the instant you contemplate creating, your studio will be too dangerous a place to enter.” - Eric Maisel, author of Fearless Creating

Recognize the many forms of
your Inner Critic

Impostor Syndrome

Hack >> Know the Impostor
Syndrome Paradox http://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/2279939232/

Comparisons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/automania/126698126/

Procrastination
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irrezolut/2311904560/

Perfectionism
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/7648792510/

Fear of failure
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717325940/

F.E.A.R. = “False Evidence Appearing
Real” or, alternatively, “F*ck Everything And Run!”

Thoughts on fear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY

“Fear is not real. It
is a product of the thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.” - character of Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith), After Earth

We become terrorists to ourselves
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koomatuomio/4182554398/

“Obsessing about preventing bad things
from happening also prevents good things from happening, or sometimes prevents anything from happening at all.” - Scott Berkun, The Year Without Pants

Hack >> Become a Fear
Alchemist http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist.jpg

“The goal is to manage
anxiety so that our energies are used for the productive and satisfying (act) of creating, rather than the destructive and debilitating art of self-torture.” - Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

Banish the Inner Critic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythoto/3822942678/

Maintain perspective
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daikrieg/1294053038/

Empathize
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrote/2646295354/

Reframe #fail
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717326642/

“An essential aspect of creativity
is not being afraid to fail.” - Dr. Edwin Land, The Instant Image: Edwin Land and the Polaroid Experience

Nothing is a mistake

Change your body language, change
your mind http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirteenthnile/4546397775/

“Our bodies change our minds,
our minds change our behavior, and our behavior changes our outcomes.” - Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are TED talk

Fake it until you become
it http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangee/195050727/

#Exercise: Power Pose Stand up.
Assume a pose that embodies a sense of defeat, can’t do it, it will never work, “I suck/I’m no good/an impostor”, etc. Make yourself as small and powerless feeling as possible. Then, strike a power pose. Imagine yourself as a superhero looking off into the distance seeing your destiny of major creative butt-kicking. Alternate several times. Hold the power pose for as long as you can so that you can feel the change.

Adjust: Train Your Brain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiarescott/3211540197/

Let’s take a closer look
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/6006414578/

Left v. Right brain?
http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=left%20brain%20right%20brain&order=9&offset=48#/d10qlpq

Left hemisphere
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smittenkittenoriginals/4451172538/

Right hemisphere
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorelei-ranveig/2294885580/

Instead: Left + Right brain
= Creativity http://www.flickr.com/photos/47691521@N07/4639590640/

“The parts of your brain
that are responsible for self-monitoring are literally turned off during creative endeavors….Creative people have mastered the art of turning off [the inhibitive] part of their brains to let their ideas flow more smoothly, unleashing their imagination.” - Tina Seelig, InGenius

What are our brains constantly
producing? http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/7254347346/

Know your Brainwaves

Alpha: the gateway to creativity

#Exercise: Enter Alpha Close your
eyes and relax. Breathe through your nose. Now place your tongue at the roof of your mouth, turn your eyes towards the ceiling underneath your eyelids. Take several deep, long breaths. As you relax, you are changing your brainwaves from Beta to Alpha.

Hack >> Breathe to refocus
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guiniveretoo/1573049301/

Hack >> Being prone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snazzy54/4581347651/

Hack >> Showers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3761878381/

“When your brain is supposedly
doing nothing, it’s really doing a tremendous amount.” – Marcus Raichle, Neurologist

Hack >> Daydream/Space out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzylittlemanpeach/4633972431/

Hack >> Engage in mindless
activity http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabi/2499381396/

Hack >> Get physical
http://www.flickr.com/photos/miguel77/2728104156/

Hack >> Leverage Biophilia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/verifex/3782787057/

Hack >> Laugh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gagillphoto/3336353424/

“When you are playful, you
are activating the right side of your brain. The logical brain is a limited brain. The right side is unlimited. You can (do and ) be anything you want.” - Madan Kataria, The Laughter Guru

Intend Alpha
http://uniteunderfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Brain-waves.jpg

3
Practice
& Generate

Exercise Discipline
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizz0k0/3432638748/

Show up everyday
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8064533288/

And really commit to it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deathtogutenberg/2976274920/

Focus on meaningful tasks
http://www.43folders.com/2008/09/01/what-are-you-doing

Hack >> Delegate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/3645313261/

#Exercise: To Don’t List To
do more of what you love and less of what you dislike, start writing To Don’t Lists (aka “Stop Doing” Lists). Pick a partner, and write a list of 3-5 items that you commit to stop doing within the next 30 days. Date the list. Share the list with your partner and get ideas on how to eliminate these items from your life either by stopping them or delegating/outsourcing the tasks. Review your list in 30 days to see what you need to continue to stop doing so that your time is spent on what you value and want to cultivate. Create another list for the upcoming 30 days.

Clean-up habit fields
http://www.flickr.com/photos/risager/3452272176/

Habit what?
http://alistapart.com/article/habit-fields

Hack >> Habit field reboot
Clean up your work habit field by following the suggestions in the article “Habit Fields” by Jack Cheng. Create your equivalent of a “distraction chair” and move to it when you feel like you are inclined to surf the web, email, Tweet, Facebook, or engage in any other computer-related distraction. When you are ready to work again, come back to your desk. Rinse and repeat until your work habit field is clear again and no longer fuzzy.

Manage time
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolocampioni/2168286027/

Single-task
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33498942@N04/6009639079/

“Single-tasking is the new multitasking.”
- A Your Brain on Creativity participant

Say NO to Distractions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideon/6582069/

RescueTime.com

GetConcentrating.com

{ Further Resources } Firefox
extension: LeechBlock: http://www.proginosko.com/leechblock.html Firefox extension: Idderall: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/ idderall/ Google Chrome extension: Strict Workflow: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/strictworkflow/ Google Chrome extension: StayFocusd: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ stayfocusd/

Hack >> Pomodoro Technique
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucamascaro/4975166968/

Hack >> Airplane mode
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieterouwerkerk/699475144/

Hack >> Pomodoro 2.0 Practice
the Pomodoro technique. Do a 30 minute sprint where you turn off all distractions and work for 25 minutes. Before you start your sprint, write down the objective of the sprint. Do the sprint, and at the end of it, take a moment to jot down any challenges encountered, and your end results from the sprint. For your 5 minute break, activate your Alpha brainwaves by either laying down on the floor with your eyes closed, or look at clouds shifting in the sky.

Hack >> Work standing up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rknight/2645099486/

Why? Because
http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/sitting-kills/

Hack >> Change environments
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/3475417696/

Generate: Start the flow of
ideas http://www.flickr.com/photos/international-festival/3018718331/

Hack >> Shape your micro-environment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/6162309101/

Everything is a remix
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4812026355/

Remix inspiration “Mona Lisa” by
Paul Giovanopoulos, http://www.giovanopoulos.com/

Hack >> Create constaints
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielsilliman/4489863368/

Get inspired by children
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barretthall/3036598475/

From the mind of a
4yo Photo courtesy of Laura Bohill (@LauRARbee)

Generate ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathb/3933087930/

Capture ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosengrant/3637839874/

Embrace disruption
Photo: Denise Jacobs

Write them down
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinator/2826079915/

Sketch them out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoze04/4890376021/

Talk them out (& record
it) http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/3641402489/

Gather and curate your ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmanviz/3181410714/

Tools to do so Evernote
Pinterest.com Delicious.com Flickr.com Trello.com Zootool.com Gimmebar.com Dropr.com Diigo Tumblr Imgspark.com Scrnshots.com Vi.sualize.us Emberapp.com

3
Innovate
& Produce

Do it with others
http://www.flickr.com/photos/u-suke/5668302030/

Mo’ people, mo’ ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seretuaccidente/147686396/

Immerse yourself in diverse environments
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shirinwiniger/3680885289/

Building 20 at MIT

Avoid sameness
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dahlstroms/3774973833/

The source of great ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianavengers/2495352933/

Bring brilliance together
http://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/4436484250/

Create a locus where ideas
can mix & mingle http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/7496803638/

Don’t keep them to yourself
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8127201319/

Invite others to wonder with
you http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicongulf/2114492904/

Share ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nanpalmero/4278466639/

Share mistakes
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt/26322670/

Hack >> Co-work to collaborate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeemick/5106610355/

Hack >> Engage in Parallel
Play http://handsfullofgrass.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_2123.jpg

Amplify the ideas of others
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roland/54381130/

Improv
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roel1943/5740295789/

Hack >> Plus it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66568868@N00/6032481145/

The structure

Make your partner look good
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31246066@N04/4597640798/

Will connect people beyond the
cubicle http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4371000846/

And encourage better teamwork
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5445603066/

“Creativity is more than a
great idea, it’s the determination to see the idea through to fruition.” - Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

Prototype
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindmob/292609444/

Iterate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciousblur/4165405018/

The d.school production-iteration process •
• • • • • observe suggest tinker review apply feedback reiterate

The stage is set for
Flow http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgeithner/5290115839/

All of the previous steps
lead you here: • Concept in mind: know what you want to achieve and what it looks like • Practice in place • Cleared space • Time carved out and distractions eliminated • Necessary materials on hand

Epilogue
Liberation

Previously
http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/2084287794/

Moving forward
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulpolux/3317141795/

Before
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_g_travels/860951845/

After
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualdoubts/4087935894/

Stepping through them more easily
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/4269399012/

(Re)Gain Creative Confidence
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055807492/

…which is “…the confidence that,
when given a difficult problem, we have a methodology that enables us to come up with a solution that nobody has before.” - David Kelley of Ideo

Ideas are on and poppin’!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730492@N03/4957946157/

Joyfulness in Work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rvm_71/5011353192/

Turn work into play
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5392982007/

What you produce is unique

Hack your habits >> Different
Results http://starchild07.deviantart.com/art/Brainwaves-44238823

Practicing different habits >> Transform
your life

The goal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/6005503875/

You have the power
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8216666102/

…And make better things
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5319988695/

Get your creativity hack on!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bibi/5448158773/

The End…?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/232100469/

Resources! delicious.com/denisejacobs/getunblocked delicious.com/denisejacobs/unfoldyourbrain delicious.com/denisejacobs/creativityhabit delicious.com/denisejacobs/brainoncreativity
Always being updated as I find new relevant articles! “Great Resources” almost daily: @denisejacobs on Twitter

Cover art thanks to Americo
Morales AmericoMorales.com

My articles for further reading!
netmagazine.com/features/ four-secrets-enhancingcreative-productivity alistapart.com/articles/ reigniting-your-creative-spark/ alistapart.com/articles/ banishing-your-inner-critic/

Want More? Sign up for
news on my upcoming book, projects, other announcements and whatnot at DeniseJacobs.com

How to find me on
teh Interwebz DeniseJacobs.com  Sign up on my mailing list here! denise@denisejacobs.com twitter.com/denisejacobs facebook.com/denisejacobsdotcom slideshare.net/denisejacobs Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/

Thank you!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4759535970/