Today’s Guest Post is from Sam Mauzy.

Sam is a blogger who enjoys home décor and pairing the perfect lighting and modern furniture in order to create a calming yet couture look in his home.

Imagine you’re sitting in your office, ready to get a lot of work done. But instead, there seems to be a mental block and nothing is getting completed. Sometimes your surrounding environment can affect your thought processes, and if you redecorate your office, it may to help get those creative juices flowing again. However, before you begin to redecorate your office, there are a few things that need to be considered first to ensure a smooth process.

ASSESS ROOM
Take a look at the room, and its contents. What about it do you like? What are the things about the room that you would like to change? Think about the furniture and their functions — which ones can be removed, and which ones will still serve a purpose by remaining in the room. Determine what is truly necessary for your work, and what can be removed in order to alleviate clutter.

Next, look at the room itself, as if it were empty. Take note of the shape of the room, any architectural details like built-ins, and locations of any doors and windows. If necessary, draw a basic floorplan of the room using graph paper, to aid in the upcoming planning.

WALL TREATMENT
Choose a new paint color for the office. It is a proven fact that specific colors can affect your mood. Think about what mood best motivates you. Do you work better when you feel energized? Or is it when you feel calm and are able to gather your thoughts? For an energetic vibe, choose a bright color, such as yellow. For a serene feel, lean toward muted colors like blue, green, or neutrals. Don’t forget to confirm that the new chosen color will complement any existing furniture that will remain in the room, or any potential new furniture.

SPACE PLAN
Once you have chosen the color for the room, start thinking about how to lay out the furniture. Rearrange the furniture so that traffic will flow easily without feeling cramped, or having anyone bumping into corners. Remember, only the necessary pieces of furniture should remain. Any other furniture can be moved to another room, or maybe even donated. The furniture should be configured so that it maximizes the space and makes sense. Think about how you use the furniture and your typical routines as you move from one station to another.

A way to easily maximize the use of the room is to use any available vertical space. Install some shelves onto the walls to house things like books, photographs, and decorative items — all things that otherwise would have taken up valuable floor or desk space. You can even stagger multiple rows of shelves for a decorative touch.

WINDOW COVERINGS
The fenestration can also play a role in the overall look of the room. Take into consideration the rest of the room, and the look you are going for when you are selecting a window covering. Wood shutters would create a different, more contemporary look than that of floral drapes. Or, you can use translucent panel drapes for a softer look. Alternately, you can also choose to use blinds for ease of access to opening windows.

LIGHTING
Lighting is important in tying the room together, and setting the ambiance of the room. Think about the task lighting to provide sufficient brightness so that the eyes do not tire from dim lighting when working. Also think about ambiant lighting, the general overall lighting. Use accent lighting for any specific artwork that you would like highlighted. Perhaps it’s a photograph or canvas that gives you inspiration. Finally, use any decorative lighting that is in line with the rest of the decorations of the room.

If you use these steps in redecorating your office, you will surely have a better designed room, which will lead to productive work. Can you already feel the enthusiasm just thinking about it?

Relocation is quite a challenging task that involves a lot of expenditure. The excitement of moving to a new place is usually replaced by the stress and tension of relocating. The monotonous relocation schedule and the heavy expenses of relocation become unmanageable after some time.

The relocation process may be made more budget-friendly by planning out in advance. There are some innovative ways to make relocation manageable and cost-effective. Some of these ways are:

Planning The Move
Planning the relocation in advance is the first step to be undertaken for a cost-effective relocation. A planned and organized approach helps in understanding the steps involved in the move. This can help in deciding what work is to be done, and planning out ways to mitigate the costs. You can ask for discounts from the movers. An important part of planning the move is to discuss the costs of relocating in advance with all the professionals you hire. This shall save you from unnecessary last moment expenditures.

Preparing A Moving Budget
Planning the total budget in advance can be greatly helpful in curtailing costs of relocation. Mostly, people overlook this aspect and end up paying huge taxes. Preparing in advance will help to acquaint you with the different costs involved in the relocation. It is much better to prepare a moving budget than to end up paying for unanticipated costs.

Move Less Stuff
Relocating can be a lot more cheaper with less stuff to move. Sometimes, people shell a substantial amount of money by moving stuff they do not need. A unique way of reducing the costs of relocation is to hold a sale for the items that you don’t need. You can also donate some of your items in charitable organizations, and contribute towards a humanitarian cause.

Cut Down Costs Of Packing
One of the most innovative ways of reducing the costs of relocation is to avoid spending unnecessarily on packing material. You can get many cardboard boxes and extra packing tapes along with bubble wraps from neighbors or friends who have recently relocated. Blankets and bed covers can be creatively used for wrapping fragile items. They can act as an extra protection, and be more cost-effective too.

Moving Off-Season
People usually do not realize that moving off-season is an effective way for reducing costs of relocation. Most families move during the months of June-July. Relocation costs are at their peak at such times. Weekends are expensive times to relocate. Moving in the middle of the week is another good alternative for reducing unnecessary expenses.

Doing Some Work Yourself
Instead of hiring professionals for doing most of the work, you can do some work on your own. Asking friends and family for help can be fun and will give you time for bonding together. You can pack the belongings together and load them in the moving truck. You can also drive the truck yourself and unload the belongings yourself.

Avoid Dining Out
Dining out while moving results in a lot of unnecessary expenditure. Packing several meals for yourself, in advance, while relocating is useful for reducing the expenses of eating out. Having packed food with your friends and family can be a memorable experience, which can help you recover from the stress of moving.

Ask For Insurance
There may be unfortunate accidents and incidents leading to your stuff getting damaged. Sometimes, negligence on the part of the professionals you hire is the root cause of these incidents. You must ask for insurance from these professionals in advance. This helps in avoiding unnecessary expenditure.

Choosing The Right Professionals
Relocation involves a lot of expenditure and effort as well. Professionals who stay alone are capable of working on their own. There are, however, families who cannot afford to work by themselves because they have children or pets to take care of. If you still feel you cannot manage the move on your own, you can avail the professional services of London Removals.

Relocation can be a cumbersome experience that may drain you of money as well as energy. It is important to spend money wisely, and make the right efforts for a successful move.

Sometimes you just need an extra boost before you start your workday in order to get on track. If you don’t have your head on right in the creative industry, there’s no way that you’ll be able to competently execute creative projects. An apathetic or jaded mindset could spell disaster, leaving your work bland and uninspired.

When I start my workday from a blah state of mind, I take it upon myself to complete some small creative exercise—kind of like a brain teaser for the right-brained—in order to start things on the right foot. These exercises don’t have to take much of your time, but it’s important that you put your all into it when you try them so as to stimulate your mind as much as possible. Here are three exercises that I do from time to time.

Write a story off the cuff

One of my favorite creative exercises is freestyle writing. Before I start any work, even before checking my work email, I take out a sheet of paper and start writing. The subject and substance of the writing doesn’t matter as much as the mere fact that you’re writing something. I usually try to write brief, single-scene short stories about made-up characters and settings, writing things in as vivid detail as possible.

You can choose to journal about the previous day’s events or your thoughts about work, or simply jot down stream of consciousness thoughts. All that matters is that you keep moving your hand. And you should be moving your hand. Writing on paper is critical to this exercise, because part of the creative inspiration will come from the tactile nature of putting pen or pencil to paper. Even if your writing amounts to nothing more than a series of half realized thoughts, your brain will appreciate the strain of this novel exercise before your typical work.

Shoot and reflect on an inspiring photo

This exercise is for all the amateur photographers out there. Not too long ago, you needed to invest quite a hefty sum in order to try out photography. Now all you need is a decent smartphone and you can take startlingly clear and compelling images by a simple point and click. In other words if you can take a photo, then try this exercise.

On your way to work, either during your commute (not if you’re driving) or around your home, take a photo of something that strikes you. It doesn’t have to be of a picture-perfect sunrise or a thought provoking commentary on American culture, either. Anything that catches your attention: the shadow of plants around your home, a strange car on the street, the grey stretch of clouds—anything. Once you’ve taken the photo, take some time to really look at it. Look at it on your computer, write whatever comes to mind. Even if you end up reflecting on this being a stupid exercise, just do it. You’ll find that you’re in a better state of mind afterward.

Draw without any specific subject in mind

The drawing exercise should be as freestyle as the writing one. Just start doodling away, with no clear intention of creating a polished piece of illustration. The point here is to let your subconscious mind wander about and make whatever connections it wants to make. A good deal of your creativity is linked with your subconscious, so giving it free reign in the work world now and again would do you a world of good. And this exercise isn’t limited to illustrators or graphic designers: anyone can doodle. You just have to be earnest about the exercise.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at accredited online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

Great work in the creative industry, from advertising to graphic design, is fueled by powerful inspiration. And while workplaces in the creative industry make an effort to foster a dynamic environment from which employers can draw inspiration, they might have to look outside their workplace to get their creative juices flowing. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that places that actively try to inspire creativity do just the opposite by trying to control such a variable and personal process.

I have a suggestion if you’re feeling low on inspiration in your workplace (or in your life generally)—look around you. It may sound cliché, but you’ll find no dearth of inspiration in your community, regardless of your city’s size. Consider one of the following remedies for creative block.
Keep track of local art events

An easy way to discover local creatives is to keep up with the local art and music scenes in your community. Usually these will be community meeting places focused on nurturing a unique artistic identity for the city. You can find many of these hubs for right-brained people in locales off the beaten path, in independent coffee shops, music stores, art galleries, and even retailers. These local supporters of arts and music will serve as a great starting point if you’re searching for inspiration. The coffeeshops and music stores will likely have walls dedicated to flyers and posters advertising local art events, any of which would likely yield rich material to draw from in your work.
If you don’t want to hunt around for events, you can always look in your cities local publication, or peruse local art and music blogs that cover current events in your area. A simple Google search along the lines of “local art events in (your city)” would bring up more results than you’d expect.
Get involved in a community group of creatives

If you’re looking for collaborators or partners in a creative project, you won’t have to look further than your local community to find help. Just as I said that you could find art events by browsing the flyers at common meeting places, you can similarly find advertisements for photographers, writers, designers, and general artists looking either for work or for other creatives with whom to network. In fact, you can capitalize on such advertisements by putting up your own ad (in a coffeeshop or online) for a collaborative artist. Most local artists would probably be overjoyed at the prospect of work with a fellow local. Who knows, work with another artist could drum up some of your best work!

Draw inspiration from the city itself

If you’re not keen on networking among fellow artists, nor in joining any creative communities, you can at least search for inspiration in the raw geography of your city. Whether your aesthetic is more pastoral, seek out the less populated areas in your city, those not taken over by urban sprawl or fast food chains. Take the time to be among the natural environs of your city and use it as a lightning rod for your creative process. If you have a soft spot for urban landscapes, city architecture, and the angular beauty of human civilization, take a day to unabashedly explore your city. Walk around neighborhoods that you’ve never visited, travel to areas you’ve always meant to visit. Get acquainted with your surroundings, connect with it, and let the inspiration come to you.

Share your thoughts in the forum.

Mind Like Water

There is a section of Jonathan Fields’ new book, “Uncertainty“, that deals with the power of training your mind to pay attention and for using meditation practices to reduce stress and improve creativity.

On a conference call with Fields that I participated in he shared some amazing information on how to enhance your skills in these areas.

I have transcribed my notes in a new board on the forum here: Attentional Training, Meditation and Mindfulness

I would invite you to take a look, register, and participate in the conversation.

Do you take time to meditate each day?

What techniques and methods work for you?

What do you find most valuable about your meditation?

If you do not currently use some sort of meditation practice, why not? Or, what do you do in place of it?

There is a new post up at Phil Gerbyshak’s place (by yours truly), on how to boost your creativity at work.

Here is a sample:

A common complaint I hear from a lot of people is they don’t get to express their Creativity at work. Some cite being too busy, too confined or are just too afraid that they simply aren’t Creative with a capital-C. I am not on board with that.

With a little training and practice anyone can find the time and motivation to add some Creativity into their Work.

To get you started, here are five things I do to get the juices flowing and make something fun happen

Read the whole thing: 5 Ways to Kick-start Your Creativity at Work

Last week I wrote a piece for Michael at Remarkablogger about simple ways to increase your creativity at work.

One of the tips for enhancing your creativity was to exercise your imagination and think about how someone else would do your job:

How would your parents have done what you do? Or a fresh-faced kid right out of college? Someone with a different political/religious/philosophical background?

You can use this principle to help create a realistic and lifelike character for your story. Here is this week’s exercise:

Putting Yourself Into the Head of Your Character

• Jot down a short list of the things that you do as part of your job. These can be the tasks and activities that you do daily or weekly or whatever.
• Jot down how you feel when you do each of these things. Do they make you proud or do you dread them?
• What is one of your long-term goals?
• Now imagine that you are going to be turning your job over to someone else: Write down the answers to the following:
  • Who are they?
  • What kind of experience do you think they have?
  • What do you think that their goals will be?
• Write down how well you think this person will be able to perform each of the tasks you listed at the beginning. How will these duties make the new person feel?

Share the results of your character-creation exercise in the forum, or do it on your own and let us know what you think.

Neil Matthews had a guest post up at Remarkablogger recently that really resonated with me. For the first of October’s Topic of the Month posts I want to take a look at one of the ideas that triggered a series of thoughts about using my blog as a platform for creating “rough-drafts” of material that could become a product or service that I can sell.

Personally, I am getting back into regular blogging after taking a year off to run a restaurant, and this is just the inspiration that I needed to focus my thoughts on “what should I write about now??”

This paragraph especially resonates with me (Matthews writes):

“My projects will follow the freemium model I will be creating a lot of content for free as blog posts, but I will also be creating a deeper coaching or information product to accompany the project for people that want to go deeper.

This way I can focus on building multiple streams of income on a variety of subjects and I am not limiting myself to one niche.

The creation of information products and coaching services cause me a lot of “stuckness” I’m a procrastinator (well I think I am, I must look up the meaning of that word one of these days) and I think the momentum of a project will get me through the research and out the other side to build a saleable information product.”

One of the things that I enjoy the most about being a freelancer is the “free” part, that is, the freedom to work on the things that I want to work on. My old job was incredibly stifling with absolutely no room for creativity. Now I am busting with ideas and getting a chance to really work on them and fill them out.

One of my ideas is for a book about food and my experience in the hospitality industry. I have been working on it quite a bit and I am surprised by the direction that it is taking. It started out as one thing but has transformed into another, a very positive and exciting change.

Where Inspiration Comes From

While I was reading Matthews’ account of his intention to create Freemium content on his blog (that would later become part of a larger and more detailed product that would be for sale) I realized that he was talking about the very thing I had done with my book. I was writing short drafts and posting these drafts on my personal blog to solicit feedback. This was a fantastic reminder (and a bit of a prod) that I needed to get going with creating some new information products that reflect the needs of people today.

The inspirational part is that you can do this with any kind of project that you may have in mind. Break it down into its component parts then, rather than making a list, turn the to-dos into questions that you can answer with a short essay. Really dig down into the heart of each task. Go as far as you can, until you get to a task where you can’t write an answer, or perhaps your answers will take you in an unexpected direction.

Not a distraction, but an improvement. My own work on the book has shown me that my idea, while creative and (I think) fun to read, was not exactly what I wanted to put out there. Each time I sat down to work on the outline and come up with interesting new anecdotes it seemed to get harder to find any that were appropriate to what I was trying to accomplish. This led to thinking about what was appropriate, and which stories worked better than others. Which has taken the book in a completely new direction and has made it a better product.

Discuss the October Topic of the Month in the forum.

I have recently quit my (thankless, soul-crushing, all-consuming) job (see this post if you haven’t already Looking Into the Future ) and will be turning my own energies toward a project that I care very deeply about.

I am passionately committed to the idea of the Work.Life.Creativity community and would like to ask you to help me in making it grow into the lively and engaged community that it can be.

You can register for the forum here: [ Register ]

To that end I am putting together a new editorial calendar and a new feature on the blog: Interviews with people that are passionate about applying capital-C “Creativity” to their work and their lives.

I am looking to create a series of posts that can later become an ebook (free to current WLC members and available to new members upon registration) on maintaining balance, injecting more Creativity into work- and life-styles, and creating opportunities for growth and enrichment.

If you would like to take part in the survey/interview, click here [ Survey Link ]. Thank you in advance for your participation in this project.