While working remotely delivers benefits like improved productivity and flexibility, there are also some challenges.

One of those is your ability to find inspiration, especially if you rarely leave your house or interact with others.

That is especially important in the case of creative jobs, such as marketing or design.

No matter the type of remote job you have, there are some things you can do to help you stay inspired. 

Don’t Rely on Productivity Software

When it comes to creativity, you are unlikely to find inspiration if you are overly worried about hitting productivity figures.

That is why businesses with creative workers should not be overly reliant on productivity software.

Employers should not measure creative job productivity based on hours worked. Instead, this type of job should be evaluated based on how much work gets done or how great the ideas are. 

You can think of productivity software as a way to limit experimentation.

After all, if you try something and it doesn’t work out, the software will see it as wasted time.

This discourages creativity and trying new things. You can’t find great new ideas if you never look for them. 

Create Time for Creativity

You cannot produce creativity on demand.

Instead, it takes time to think and go through various ideas. This simply isn’t possible if your work schedule is overloaded, such as with back-to-back meetings or other tasks. 

When creating your schedule for the upcoming days or weeks, make sure to block out time to let your creativity flow.

These blocks of time should not have distractions or other tasks to complete. Instead, they should be for you to focus on whatever helps fuel your creativity. 

Know What Fuels Your Creativity

Speaking of what fuels creativity, you should do your best to figure out what that is.

Some people come up with their best ideas with certain music playing or with silence. Some do best when walking or focusing on other activities. 

By knowing what types of activities fuel your creativity, you can make time for those activities and get your creative juices flowing. 

Collaborate Virtually

In many creative jobs, inspiration comes from collaboration and bouncing ideas off of each other.

While you can’t have in-person brainstorming or collaboration sessions with remote work, you do have other options. 

Technology has made it much easier to collaborate virtually than at any other time in history.

You can use tools for video calls, video sharing, screen sharing, and more. There are also whiteboards and other collaborative tools to let you easily sketch or write out ideas to share with others. 

Socialize at Least a Little

If you work remotely, it is easy to fall into the trap of never socializing.

This can be bad for your mental health, as it can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. It can also negatively affect your creativity, as many creatives get inspiration from others. 

Take this to the next level and ensure that you socialize or at least communicate with other members of your team.

This will make you feel more comfortable bouncing ideas off each other.

You want to feel comfortable asking for advice, as that is the best way to come up with excellent ideas.  

Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm

When it comes to creativity, there is no such thing as too many ideas.

The more ideas you have, the more likely it is that one of them will be exactly what you are looking for. This means that you want to brainstorm whenever the urge arises.

Look for inspiration anywhere you see and keep track of it. For example, you can take pictures of inspiration or jot them down in a notepad (physical or digital). 

Try Changing Your Scenery

Being in the same space every single day can sometimes make it hard to feel creative or inspired.

You can sometimes overcome this by trying to work in different spots. If you have a work-from-anywhere job, then this is easy.

You can go work in a coffee shop or go on vacation and work there. If you don’t need the internet for brainstorming, you can head to a local park. 

Even if you are limited to within your house, you can change your scenery somewhat.

See if working in your living room instead of your home office makes a difference. Or try working in the kitchen for a few minutes.

If you don’t have that kind of space, maybe switch out the art on your walls or the music you listen to while working. 

Self-imposed Deadlines

Some people will notice that their inspiration and creativity come through best when they are on a deadline.

You don’t want to leave your work to the last minute with the official deadline, however, as this doesn’t give you time to improve it.

A good alternative is to create a self-imposed deadline.

Splice the project into smaller tasks and attach deadlines to them.

Play a game with yourself where you try to get a 100% attendance record.