'We mustn't lose the surge of creativity we saw during lockdown’

As we encounter the last remnants of the summer, many people are returning to the office after months of working from home

For many people, working from home has given them a much better work-life balance and they are reluctant to give this up.

I have spoken to new fathers who ordinarily would have only had a couple of weeks paternity leave, who have had months at home with their newborn.

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Being able to better support their partners, as well as having special bonding time with their new babies.

I have spoken to many people who ordinarily would not step out in their gardens – gardens of which looked more like jungles – ho are now reaping the harvest grown from starting their very own vegetable patch.

Or there’s those who never having known how to bake a cake without it sinking or burning, are now possible contenders for the next season of The Great British Bake Off.

While there are those for whom lockdown has been isolating and boring, there are many people for whom it has been an opportunity to develop their creativity in ways they would never have previously dreamed of.

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One neighbour who was on furlough discovered she has a knack for painting glassware.

When people started asking how much the items cost, she was delighted that they wanted to buy it.

She is planning on continuing to do this even when she returns to work.

Amid the doom and gloom of the past five months, it feels like there has been a significant shift in people reconnecting with their creative sides.

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And in some cases, people connecting with a creative side that they never even knew existed.

With 85,000 online businesses launched in the UK during lockdown, some of this creativity has resulted in people starting new businesses.

We get so caught up in the busyness of life and work and, despite the mod cons designed to make our lives easier, we are more stressed than ever before.

While we have untold gadgets and access to services that can save us time, we find other things to fill that gap.

We cram even more activities into our days.

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We have constantly got some device or other in our hands and we consume information from all angles.

We take in far more information now than we did a generation ago.

The impact of information overload is that it becomes harder to concentrate and stay focused.

A 2019 study by academics in Germany, Ireland and Denmark found that our attention span is shrinking, something many of us are probably already aware of due to the fact we are so easily distracted.

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Society and our workplaces have become places where we are constantly on the go and consuming information.

We are busy being busy.

Some of us wear the term hustle like it is a badge of honour.

There is a lot to be gained from slowing down to speed up and the past few months have given us the opportunity to slow things down.

The boredom brought on by lockdown saw many people look for ways to keep themselves entertained and to stimulate their minds.

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Being bored can be crucial to the creative process, but we rarely give ourselves the time to do absolutely nothing.

It has been said that lockdown boredom may prompt the greatest period of creativity in history.

With creativity comes ideas and innovation and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some significant creations arise from this period.

Being creative does wonders for our wellbeing.

It enables us to get into psychological flow.

This is where we lose ourselves and become so immersed in the task at hand, it is as if time stands still.

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Benefits to our well-being of psychological flow include enhanced productivity, increased motivation, enjoyment, it also helps with our focus.

It gives us a sense of pride and achievement.

When in flow, our worries and anxieties dissipate for a while.

And if we do this regularly, it then makes it easier for us to regulate our emotions.

Is it any wonder why so many people would not want to give this up?

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We do need a kick start to the economy, and the wheels of work do need to get fully back in motion.

But it will be a shame if people get so caught up on the treadmill of being busy again that the creativity of the past few months gets buried beneath the hustle and grind.