Creativity and innovation are crucial in not only the workplace, but also in daily life. Everyday, we come up with new ideas and solve problems – big or small. Whether it’s to figure out what to have for dinner or how to get a project done on time.

When you play a board game, we’re using a combination of strategy and tactics to win. Let’s take Checkers. When you play checkers you’re thinking strategically — Which pieces should I move first? Which piece is my opponent going to move next? If I skip them now, will that put me in a position to be skipped even more? And you’re also playing tactfully by actually moving the pieces.

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin It’s true that everyone has a book inside them, isn’t it? We all have a story

Chances are you’re thinking what I’m thinking – How is it ALREADY the Holiday season? Whether you’re as festive as Buddy the Elf or a bit of a Scrooge, chances are you love at least one holiday movie.

Hi, I’m Kendall. I’m a results coach who believes that our most intractable problems can begin to unfurl when we try one thing at a time. When I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Inattentive Type, in my mid-twenties, I had a lot of seemingly intractable problems to work through.

Have you ever talked to someone about a struggle only to get a response like, “Ah well it’ll get better” or “Just cheer up” or “Don’t have a bad attitude, you’re too blessed to be stressed!”

Sometimes it feels like my brain just runs out of thinking juice. I’ll stare at a blank screen, an unfinished project, an empty content calendar, and I swear I can feel the smoke coming out of my ears. I’ve run out of fuel, and that fuel is creativity.

For those who want to succeed, planning is the best tool to reach your goals, ambitions and the position you want to be in the future. As a single mother, I understand how difficult it is to plan and accomplish everything as we desire; time is very scarce, money may not be enough, work always pushes our boundaries, and most importantly, our children need us. I know! Seems unrealistic. But trust me, it is possible.

While people have different opinions on the work-from-home setup, I can definitely identify one common insight among my workmates and peers: not having to travel in horrendous traffic is a major win. Take it from someone who lives (and works) for efficiency, but spends roughly 3 hours in transit every day. When we were told to start working from home, my heart leaped at the thought of 3 extra hours of sleep. Well, at least, that’s what I thought.

Creativity and innovation are fundamental to humanity. Creativity is a way of living and being; it’s the process of turning nothing into something, making old things new, or doing something in a different way to get a different result. It can be as simple as thinking about an object differently or combining two objects together in new ways. Innovation is applying creativity within an organization – whether that be by developing products, services, processes or business models-to achieve breakthrough results and ultimately create value for others.

Do you know what BTS, Samsung, and KaKao have in common? They are all from South Korea and I am a die hard fan of all of them! And no, I am not biased by being a Korean American who happened to grow up in both Washington, D.C., and Incheon. I am a fan because they never stop innovating or inspiring others to share their own creativity.

I can tell when I lack sleep. I feel a bit disoriented, crave sugar, and start noticing random details around the room instead of focusing on what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, as a full time, bootstrapping female entrepreneur this scenario is far too familiar.
Being a great entrepreneur takes effort, dedication, and persistence and it comes at a cost.

Feeling stuck and uncreative in your work? Some may say that’s the lay of the land in many fields (i.e., if you’re not an “artist” of some kind your work can’t possibly be “creative”), but Monica Kang is trying to spread a different message.

The belief that anyone, in any career, can integrate more creativity into their work with the proper tools led Kang to found InnovatorsBox — a “creative leadership educational firm empowering leaders and companies.” InnovatorsBox, in a nutshell, teaches professionals how to use those aforementioned tools.

TRY THIS LOCAL INNOVATOR’S TAKE ON THE 30-DAY WORKOUT

New Year’s resolutions are no fun. Too many fall into the restrictive, “don’t eat this,” “can’t have that,” bucket. Here’s a resolution, recommended by Washington, D.C., innovator Monica Kang, that will kickstart your creativity and lead you to think differently about problem solving—in your personal and professional lives, and in your community. Consider it the 30-day workout for your spirit.

I get it. You have a million things to do.
You have a serious job and cannot risk being caught daydreaming, doodling, or doing anything different from what your supervisor may think. How in the world are you to make time for creativity when you don’t have time to even clean your home? Sounds familiar?

Most people have heard it.

Innovation and creativity are critical to our personal and professional growth as well as our economy.

Research has consistently validated this since the 1950s. However, over 75% of U.S. professionals feel stuck or lack a creative outlet. This is a higher percentage than those who feel disengaged at work which is 55%, the number most HR staff would worry about. That’s a huge percentage of unhappy workers. Isn’t it odd that while we talk about how important critical creative thinking is, most employees say creativity is “not really for them” or that “they are not creative enough.”

Creativity is truly a mind muscle. The more you practice the better you will become at it. Even if it’s a short time frame, it’s important to make time for creativity routinely and frequently. The frequency and the routine will help your mind get used to thinking creatively and in a different way. Try blocking at least 5 minutes a day to experiment.