Travel used to be an automatic refresh for many of us. Even when we grumbled about one more business trip, there was always new places to look at, random conversations with fellow travelers, and new restaurants to explore. Plus, travel for pleasure was a big treat we looked forward to.
Now what? COVID has many of us locked up in our safe and necessary routines where we don’t meet strangers. We don’t travel and we zoom everything. If you are like me, you are in a safe rut. My guess is this is making you less creative at work as well. This is an opportunity to make the unconscious conscious.
What are 3 routines you can change up each day?
For example, listen to music instead of the news while you dress.
Take a different walk, or learn yoga instead of lifting weights.
Challenge a friend to read the same book and then discuss it.
Explore a neighborhood you have never been to in your town.
Go to a different gas station.
Get my drift? Anything you change in your routine can bring some creative insight and refresh you.
Notice I did not suggest one more zoom session.
If you need to refresh your zoom sessions, try the visual effects. Load some pictures of your refresh moments and share them as your background. Ask someone different each meeting to play a song when you begin and talk about why they like it. Or play name that tune.
Someday we will be able to safely travel again. And, while it may never be quite the same, we will treasure what used to be a familiar routine in a whole new way.