You hold in your (digital) hands my 50th column! I can’t believe that I have written already 50 columns since the first one more than two years ago. What I also can’t believe is that since the very first column, I never had a moment where I didn’t know what to write about or got stuck in the process of writing.

Is it because I’m lucky and always have a peak of creativity every other week, when I sit down at my desk to write a column? Is it because so much happens in my (academic) life that I always find a topic to talk about? Although the latter holds some truth, it’s mostly because I have put a system in place that allows me to fulfill my creativity in such a way that I always have ideas for every column I write in C2W International. This system works for my columns, but creativity is also something I try to nourish as much as possible in my academic work.

And there’s a good reason for that. Creativity is valued in academia: innovation comes from creativity; disruption comes from out-of-the-box thinking. Many major scientific discoveries issue from brilliant ideas. Yet how do you stay creative when tasks don’t stop landing on your desk and stress feels constant?

The secret is that creativity needs two things: space to emerge, and systems to capture it when it does.

Novel ideas flourish when our brain has space to wander. Modern technologies negatively impact this: doomscrolling, constant notifications, hours sitting passively in front of screens – all of these factors are killing creativity. On the other hand, the brain gets in ‘the zone’ – that mental state of deep immersion and energized focus in an activity – when doing a low-key activity. Some get their most brilliant ideas while cooking, running, or under the shower; I get many ideas when I’m outside walking or when I’m drawing. That’s why my daily walks are a non-negotiable appointment with myself in my agenda, as I know that I need them to feed my creativity. It isn’t rare that I go outside with no agenda, and come back with a column almost entirely written in my head.

New ideas rarely come at the exact moment we need them! That means that it’s also important to have an adequate system in place to store these ideas when they pop up. That is where modern technology comes in handy: some record their ideas in their phone and later use an AI-based transcript tool. Some work with paper – a specific notebook they carry in their bag, or sticky notes. I write down my ideas on my phone using two different approaches: a notepad app where I keep all topics I’d like to cover in my columns, and WhatsApp for detailed pieces of text for my upcoming column (yes, I send messages to myself). No system is perfect and will work for everyone – the secret is to try a few until we find what works for us.

Creativity isn’t only needed to find great research ideas, design new experiments, write a scientific article, or prepare slides for a presentation. It’s also an important aspect to stay motivated and fulfilled at work. Creativity doesn’t require waiting for inspiration to pop up – it requires building the conditions for it to flourish, then being ready to catch it when it does.