So, you have found yourself working solo or since being sent home from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling a bit isolated? Well, I might have some ideas to help with that. Along with what I touched on in maintaining your mental health, finding ways to get that creative thinking going can be a struggle at times. So what can you do?
(Re-)Establish that Human Contact
This might seem obvious or might seem silly, but having that interaction with your co-workers can help get that creative energy flowing. Some things you can do to achieve this are:
Pre-Meeting Casual Talk Time
I know this one might seem a little strange or you might be feeling a little burned out by video conferencing, but trust me, before a meeting just having some casual discussion can go a long way to making you feel connected again. Try setting aside 5 to 10 minutes in a meeting (schedule more time overall if you can afford it) to catch up with your co-workers. Even just taking a few minutes before your meeting will help set a more relaxed tone and help the meeting move along with a much happier engagement.
Sneak Attack!
Like Mr. Kim always said about Ms. Kim, that she sneak attacked! What do I mean by this? Well, see if a co-worker of yours is busy then give them a call. Take a few minutes to say hello and catch up. Just like when you would casually pass by in the hallways of an office and have a quick chat, turn this into the same thing.
Virtual Happy Hour
This one can be a bit tricky but schedule a virtual happy hour. Let me stress this should be AFTER everyone’s workday is over. It can involve alcoholic beverages or non-alcoholic ones. The idea is that you are hanging out and catching up on things. Use this time to relax and let the day go.
Game On!
Instead of doing drinks with your co-workers, this can be a fun thing to do. Try playing a game together. Find a multiplayer game, such as Among Us! that you can play together. Another option is to use the app, House Party, which offers a ton of mini-games, including Uno!
Creative Meetups
Something that I have been partaking in lately is a creative meetup. I meet weekly with other designers that either work remotely or freelance. We get together and talk about projects or creative problems and help work through them. This has been immensely helpful in keeping me in a creative mindset.
Design Together
Okay, so you got some new ideas or maybe these are things you are already doing. Now what? How do you bring together that creativity?
Well, simply put. Co-editing.
If you aren’t using one already, then you need to check out a virtual whiteboard app. There are a few good ones out there, InVision has Freehand, and another one is Miro. If I was to tell you to pick one, I would definitely try out Miro. This app is amazing. There are a ton of templates to get you started and even the blank board is a great place to start. You can have dozens of contributors all on the same board. Using the tools you can do all kinds of brainstorming and even have fun while doing it!
Another thing you can do is use the co-editing found within apps like Adobe XD and Figma. No longer do you have to design in isolation. You can do it together with your co-workers. Either put some headphones on and everyone jumps on the same board, or set up a video/audio call with them, and everyone jump on and talk it out as you are working on it. This will go a long way in getting those creative juices flowing!
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash.
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