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The Dog Days of Summer … the weather and creativity.

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The term ‘Dog Days’ traditionally refers to a period of hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August … at least in this neck of the woods.

Now that the weather is getting slightly cooler, I wondered how it might also affect us creatively.

It’s not surprising that warm weather has positive effects on the mind, body, and soul … but does it also affect our creativity?

Studies show that not only is the human brain more mentally fit, but we are also our most creative selves when out in the warmth.

Researchers have found the ideal temperature for human creativity and a positively functioning brain is 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Celsius, which is just about room temperature.

When the temperature drops below the 72-degree sweet spot, people are less open-minded and creative, and their moods and brain functioning declines.

We actually lose some of our potential to be physically and mentally fit and more creative when we are in colder environments.

Researchers outfitted a group of office workers at an insurance company in Orlando, Florida, with portable temperature sensors and loaded their computers with productivity tracking software that measured total time spent typing and typing errors, among other things.

 Measurements were taken every 15 minutes for more than three weeks.

 The findings … higher temperatures (around 77 degrees Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius) were associated with greater productivity than lower temperatures (around 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius).

 Warmer workers typed 150% more and made 44% fewer mistakes than their chillier colleagues.

 The so what!! … Warm environments can help spur productivity and creativity hot streaks.

Apparently, Picasso preferred a nice 72 F/22C degree day with a slight, cool breeze!! And so did his ‘long dog of summer’!

https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/1901/picassos-sausage-dog

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

If it’s time to ramp up your team’s innovation and collaboration abilities – we can help! Contact us today. 

For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!
We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.

Boost creativity with the help of your dog.

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Cooper,Marilyn, and Norbert

The dog on your left (my right) in the picture is our dog Cooper. He is 11 years old.

The other gorgeous Golden in the picture is Norbert. He is 8 years old and is Cooper’s best dog friend.

We recently drove to Stoney Lake to visit Norbert (yup ,this is what you do as dog owners … you drive 2 hours north so your dog can visit his best friend).As we were walking through the fragrant pine forest to the lake, it actually struck me for the first time ever that dogs might help boost our creativity. I mean … is that really even possible?

I did some ‘digging’ and found out it is more than possible, it’s absolutely true. Here’s how!

Owning a dog means lots of walks and adventures.

Generally, we walk Cooper once a day and cover about 2.5 kilometres in total. We used to walk 3 times a day and cover a lot more distance, but now Cooper is an old guy with lots of arthritis!

Walking is great for creativity! According to a recent study creative thinking improves while a person is walking and for a period of time shortly thereafter. The authors of the study found that walking outside in the fresh air helped produce twice as many creative responses compared to sitting down. The creative juices continued to flow even after returning to the office and sitting down, back at your desk. The upshot is that creative output improves as does creative quality.

If you bring your dog in to your pet-friendly office, inevitably you will have to take the time to let your dog outside on a walk. These extra brief moments of activity can help keep the creative juices flowing throughout the day. Taking breaks to play tug-o-war or play ball can help to increase the quality of your work by allowing you to come back to your task with a fresh mindset. Plus, getting out of the office and getting some exercise and fresh air can increase your dopamine and endorphins.

Also, the presence of a dog in an office sparks conversations among employees, increasing creativity and positive outcomes.

Finally, having pets in the office (especially the CEO’s office) makes the environment less formal.

Dogs aren’t just good for creativity, they can help improve productivity too.

When a problem arises, it’s hard to stay trapped in a negative mindset when there’s a cute bundle of fur snoring on the floor next to you.

Research tells us that people who describe their homes as cluttered exhibit greater depression and fatigue, diminished coping skills, and increased difficulty transitioning from work to home compared to people who view their place of residence more positively.

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

If it’s time to ramp up your team’s innovation and collaboration abilities – we can help! Contact us today. 

For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!
We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

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The brilliant humourist Mark Twain receives credit, but I have been unable to find a solid citation.

The observation has been attributed to several other prominent humourists including: Josh Billings (pseudonym of Henry Wheeler Shaw), Artemus Ward (pseudonym of Charles Farrar Browne), Kin Hubbard (pen name of Frank McKinney Hubbard), and Will Rogers. Yet, it is unlikely then any of them said it. The creator remains anonymous based on current evidence.

It’s all about our tendency to believe that what we think is fact when unfortunately it’s just opinion, and as an opinion it may not be correct. 

Most importantly, when we act based on a belief something is fact and it turns out to not only be opinion but wrong, this is when things can often go spectacularly wrong.

Perspective is everything!

Here is the most perfect example I have ever found!!!

Enjoy The Cookie Thief!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oioZqbGEzTQ

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

If it’s time to ramp up your team’s innovation and collaboration abilities – we can help! Contact us today. 

For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!
We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.

Celebrate The Small Things

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Celebrate the small things

Like most of us, if you have spent this year plowing through your immense to-do list, orchestrating the various demands of life, it’s likely that you have overlooked what could have been a major source of daily happiness.

Your wins and accomplishments … the things that were on (or off) your to-do list, that you have actually managed to get checked off. The daily tasks you achieved throughout the year, are all huge reasons to celebrate. In fact, the smaller the ‘thing’, the more reason to celebrate!

According to research, there is incredible power in small wins. It’s the fulfillment that comes from making progress!

Each day you experience wins, both big and small, but you could be moving too fast (or you are too hard on yourself) to notice.

To always be focused on “what’s next?” can, and will deplete you. Once you make an effort to start noting and celebrating the small things, it can increase your sense of self-worth, and your happiness.

Ask yourself if during the course of 2017, you regularly glossed over some of these things:

1. You ate a healthy breakfast

2. You exercised

3. You spent time playing with a child, with your phone on mute in another room

4. You said NO to something you really didn’t want to do

5. You sat down and read something that made you think

6. You took a short walk and really appreciated your surroundings, without your phone in your pocket

One way to celebrate the small things is to keep track of them, and give yourself some rewards.

Documenting your small wins will give you visible proof of what you’ve accomplished, so that you are more likely to keep at it. It will also help shut down that inner critic who tells you that you are never doing enough.

As 2017 comes to a close, please think about the small things that made you happy this year. Write them down in a fresh journal, with your favourite pen (if you don’t have a favourite pen, buy yourself one … believe me it matters).

Then use that journal as a road map for 2018. Do more of what made you happy, and continue to celebrate the small things. Remember to honour the meaningful things in your life … the smaller the better!

We would love to hear from you! What little victories do you celebrate? Leave us a comment down below.
For brainstorming tips and creative thinking hacks, be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Taking The WORK Out Of NetWORKING

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Networking - Yawn

Great networking means creating relationships that will last your entire career. But how do you make it more fun and less WORK?

Here are five tips that will help take the edge off.

  1. Get to know Two to Three people well:

At industry events instead of merely fattening your stack of business cards by talking to everybody. Find shared personal interests to create a stronger bond. It’s not a game of how many people in the room you speak to, it’s about creating meaningful relationships. In this case … less is definitely more!

  1. Fly solo at events:

Chat with people you haven’t met. Make a point of sitting with strangers at meals, always choose the table away from where your friends or co-workers are sitting. Tip: Walk up to someone you know, who’s speaking to people you do not know, and become part of their conversation.

  1. Run a group:

Help run a trade association or networking group. You’ll get to know the stakeholders well, and they’ll introduce you to others.

  1. Speak on a panel:

Work on becoming a thought leader or a subject matter expert. Offer to speak at trade association events (some are “pay to play” but might still be wise investments). Put yourself in front of a crowd, those who connect with your passion and presentation will seek you out!

  1. Use social media:

If you produce quality content about your expertise via a blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, an e-newsletter or video, the content can serve as an icebreaker with others. Ask questions, start conversations, and take interest in what your peers are posting.

We would love to hear from you! Do you have any go to tips or tricks that help you Network with the best of them? Leave us a comment down below.
For more brainstorming tips and creative thinking hacks, be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

When Is It Okay To Break The Brainstorming Rules?

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Don't Break the Brainstorming RulesThe short answer is NEVER!

As soon as you start to cut corners during brainstorming to save time, the process falls apart. You’ll soon be back to square one, staring at each other across the boardroom table asking if anyone has an idea!

From time to time I have had clients ask me to do a ‘light’ version of the process. Bottom line, there is no ‘light’ version that works — certainly not one that generates the quantity and quality of ideas that are worthy of people’s time.

I can think of two stories I would love to share with you. Neither of them involves ‘breaking the rules’, but each of them involves stopping a brainstorming session!

I was working with a large group in Texas when in the middle of the session a woman stood up and screamed, “I’ve lost my diamond engagement ring!”

I asked everyone to stay very still while we called the hotel concierge staff and asked them to send as many people as they could.

When the hotel staff arrived, we all got down on our hands and knees and crawled around the room looking for the ring… No luck. It wasn’t there.

I asked the hotel staff to accompany the guest so she could retrace every step she had taken from the time she got up that morning.

The rest of us resumed our brainstorming session.

Within an hour, our guest returned wearing her ring! Apparently it had slipped off her finger during the night, and she found it under the bed in her room.

The second story takes place during a brainstorming session at the conference centre in Whistler. As a team was presenting their big ideas, we lost all the power to the building. Everything went pitch black and it stayed that way for about 10 minutes. We waited for a backup generator to kick in… But it never did.

We stopped our session while many guests turned on the flashlight feature on their phones. They also taught other guests how to use it.

The session was with Miracle Ear. We were working on big ideas focusing on communicating with hearing impaired consumers that were in denial.

The power outage provided us with an unexpected stimulus — if this is how it feels to not be able to see, imagine the ‘dark’ world these people are living in who can’t hear! The session took on a life of its own.

One of my favourite quotes is from Katharine Hepburn: ‘If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun’.

I live my life by this rule, except when it comes to brainstorming!

Brainstorming rules and creativity training

For more brainstorming rules and ideas to kick-start creativity, contact the Barefoot Brainstorming team today.

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