Are you a highly creative individual that radiates artistic inspiration wherever you go - but with huge variations in your productivity? Or are you an ultra-productive worker, whose organisational, logistical and management skills are second to none - but do you lack creative talent? I think most will identify more with one of these people than the other. In short, can you be both creative and productive at the same time?
In part one of a series of blog posts exploring productiveness and creativity, we look at whether it’s possible to be creative and productive simultaneously:
The systemisation of productivity
Being productive requires some sort of system to be in place. As the Harvard Business Review notes, “Productive people move through the tasks they have to accomplish in a systematic way.”
Productivity thrives on being efficient, well organised, and moving through tasks in a methodical way.
Creativity, on the other hand, stereotypically thrives on a more spontaneous approach.
An official definition of creativity is: “The use of imagination or original ideas to create something.”
Creativity is the act of turning imaginative ideas into a reality. As Creativity At Work writes: “Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing.”
With this in mind, while creativity requires passion, imagination and commitment, it also requires the art of producing, which is a productive act within itself.
Although it may be difficult to systemise creativity, the end result – the product – requires some form of productivity to ensure it is created and completed.
For example, an artist might be brimming with creativity, but unless they can get their work on canvas, they can hardly be considered an artist: the act of getting the artwork on canvas requires a certain level of productivity. Granted, the artist may not be as productive, rehearsed and controlled as a production line in a biscuit factory, but any medium that requires a product to be produced or a service to be offered, requires productivity to get everything finished.
Although some of us seem to be ‘born’ more creative or productive than others, both skills can be learnt and worked on with a little extra time and attention spent on how we think and do things. In recent years, methods to improve productivity and creativity using various tools have become more common too (see our blog on some of the best productivity apps).
As these two talents can be developed and improved, it stands to reason that we can in fact be creative and productive at the same time.
Where creativity and productivity mix
Some of the most successful businesses have found a perfect balance between creativity and productivity. One of the best ways to nurture both of these skills is to mix creative and productive people with one another.
It is widely agreed that the environment we conduct our work in has a significant impact on the quality of the work. For example, conducting work in a co-working space will mean you come into contact with plenty of people with creative and productive skills.
Research has shown that enabling individuals and teams to work in flexible office space where they have greater freedom to choose their own hours and where they work from, is conducive with nurturing both creativity and productiveness. There are plenty of other benefits to flexible working – this article breaks down everything you need to know.
High quality flexible office space and meeting room venues where professionals can discuss projects, share ideas and stimulate innovation, can be the perfect place for both creativity and productivity to thrive. Offices with plenty of space away from the work desk – known as third space – can be great for boosting both creativity and productivity.
Keep an eye out for the second part of our ‘creativity vs productivity’ blogs where we’ll be discussing ‘What’s more important to business – creativity or productivity.’
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a high quality co-working office in Leeds with meeting room venues and flexible office space, designed to whet your creativity and create a more productive day’s work, get in touch with the team at Carrwood Park.