Ever struggled with a creative block?

As business owners, we have to wear a lot of hats. CEO, manager, marketer, even a logistician but the list goes on. And when you’re working hard, keeping everything rolling, growing and making sure you don’t drop any plates, it can be hard to keep your creative spark. Now, you might be thinking, “But Chadd, I’m an importer/manufacturer/exporter, I’m not in a creative job, so what does it matter?”  But if you own, run or manage a business, creativity is critical. Creativity is how you solve problems, inspire growth and keep innovating. Without creativity, you stagnate and get stuck. 

But I’ve been there. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about what to write in my upcoming emails to you guys, and I felt a little stumped. I’ve been busy. Very busy. There wasn’t anything big happening in the world of freight, and I started to worry that, for the first time in 8 years, I might not have anything to share. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. In fact, what was really happening was that I was so busy I wasn’t giving myself any space or time to be creative. No empty space in my brain, no chance to get the creative juices flowing. So I took a break, sat in my armchair, gave my mind permission to wander and BAM! Three good ideas popped right into my head. 

Funny that, isn’t it? How things always come along in threes. I know I’ve spoken about the rule of three in the past, but it really is quite fascinating how much it shows up. 

 Three meals a day

Starter, main and dessert

Ready, steady, cook

Gold, Silver, Bronze medals

The three musketeers

Three lights on traffic lights

The three amigos

Even the way I handle emails and the three D’s principle: Do-Ditch-Delegate. It’s everywhere. Sounds a little woo woo, I know. But I promise I’ve not started collecting crystals and studying star signs.  The rule of three is actually rooted in psychology and the way our brains work.  Three is the minimum number our brains need to recognise something as a pattern. Three chunks of information is the sweet spot for the number of things we can actively process at once. And three things, when spoken or written, create what’s called “rhythmic cadence”. This basically makes things feel more compelling and complete. 

So it’s not all fairy dust and magic, it’s actually science. Don’t believe me? Start paying attention to everything that goes on around you, and you’ll start to see just how often the rule of three comes into action. In fact, if you just re read this email, you’ll see the rule of three in action here too! (Hint: look for the text in italics!) 

And if you’re feeling a little creatively stuck, remember to give yourself space. Take the pressure off, take a breath, and the ideas will come flowing again, probably in groups of three! Do you have any tips for getting your creative juices flowing? I’d love to hear them.