Is being creative in your business really possible? One thing I have to make an effort to do is make myself slow down and find the time to let myself be creative. After finishing a large project I find myself running off to do the next thing rather than taking time to relax and think; to do some personal brainstorming. I'm not taking the time to stop and refocus my mind and my energy and it affects both my ability to focus and my ability to relax. 

I think that you need to foster creativity in yourself before there can be creativity in your professional life. You can enhance the creativity in your workplace by asking yourself questions like: How can I do things differently? Where can I make more money…with less effort? What if I did this instead? Where does asking these questions lead you?

There are many reasons why we don't have a creative flow in our lives. We have too many demands on us, we lack focus, or we just don't know what to do with the energy we have. It's good to know why we don't have a creative flow, but what can you do to cultivate creativity in your everyday life?

Here are 5 tips to help you get started:

1. Make sure you set some time aside everyday to just think. To some, this may be meditation, for other just a quiet time to write things down and bring order to everything going on. Do this every day, and try not to save it until the end of the day when you are ready to pass out from exhaustion. Giving yourself this treat, which may be 10 or 15 minutes, maybe a half

hour, is paramount to keeping your sanity. I listen to an audio CD of relaxing sounds and meditate.

2. Do something that's not related to work. Something that's interactive with other adults. Join an online book club, play tennis, meet some friends for coffee. We get so busy sometimes with our to-do lists that we don't allow time to just be and do something fun.

3. Take charge of your schedule. Develop routines so that time is not wasted. Plan time for work and play. Set aside time to spend on marketing; time to go to your child's baseball game, etc.

4. Make sure you take a vacation. You may be surprised at this, but many successful business owners get their "great ideas" while on vacation or relaxing. Your creativity may flow best in these situations. Plan your next trip now!

5. Get enough sleep. Make the time to rejuvenate yourself. You need energy and focus to be creative. Walking around with a fog around you will block the creative flow.

You never know where stimulation will come from. Keep your senses alert and take care of yourself. Allow your creativity to flow.

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits" at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.