Think Like Bill Gates - Five Ways to Encourage Creative Thinking . The strategies we've outlined above work best in an atmosphere of positivity and possibility. The following ideas may help you to establish the best conditions for creativity:

Believe in yourself . Have faith that great ideas will come! Try techniques such as Visualization  and positive affirmations  to keep your spirits high.

Find time for downtime. Some of the best ideas appear when you're thinking about something else – or not really thinking at all: maybe walking, listening to music, or playing with your kids.

Rest, relaxation and sleep  are all important for recharging your creative batteries. But make sure that you have a notepad or device handy for capturing your brilliant thoughts, whatever you're doing!

Vary your environment. Changing your setting can transform your thinking, and offer new sources of inspiration – we've already mentioned the power of a country walk for the inventor George de Mestral.

Hold your meeting in a nearby coffee shop instead of the conference room in your office, or ask your people to join you for an "ideas walk " in the park.

Conquer distractions . When you're focused on generating ideas, and feel "in the zone " – stay there! Do your thinking in a place where it's easy and enjoyable to work.

Spend some time with your phone and laptop turned off and your door closed, so that nothing – and no one – disrupts your train of thought.

Have fun!  Playfulness and humor are essential ingredients of creativity, especially if you're exploring new ideas with a team. When the pressure's on to come up with something radical, make sure that you're still relaxed and open-minded enough for the very best ideas to emerge.

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