Difficult times often lead to great innovations - after all, necessity is the mother of invention.

    So, if you are feeling the pinch in your purse, now is the time to capitalise on your creativity. Alison Motluk explains how

    1. Embrace your inner grouch

    It's hard to stay upbeat when your penny-pinching bosses are counting paper clips and coffee grains, but here's some good news: workplace discontent may just be a vast, untapped source of creativity

    2. Let your mind wander

    A wandering mind may allow your brain to search more widely for connections that could trigger a "eureka" moment

    3. Play the piano

    Music may provide more than just a brief respite from life's stresses – it may help you to think with both sides of your brain at once

    4. Colour your world blue

    It may be nothing more than an association with big skies and the open seas, but beholding the colour blue makes you more creative

    5. Seek out creative company

    The best ideas are forged not in moments of solitary genius, but during exchanges with trusted colleagues

    6. Live abroad

    The idea that living abroad spurs creativity has been in the popular psyche for eons – and now science backs up the idea

    7. Be more playful

    When times get tough, many people turn serious, but some researchers believe that horsing around may be better in the long run than hunkering down

    8. Raise a glass

    Many of the most creative pursuits – jazz, for instance, and poetry – are associated with heavy boozing, but can a dram or two really help?

    不同的時間經常能產生不同的創新。總而言之，需要是創造之母。如果是這樣的話，只要你想你的錢包里有錢子，那么你現在要的事就是將你的創造力轉化為鈔票。

    讓我們來看看創造力是如何激發出來的吧！

    1．挖掘你內心的牢騷

    在看到的摳門的老板斤斤計較著辦公用品和咖啡粉的開銷時，你肯定心里很是不爽。可是，這個時候，也有些好事情出現：辦公室里的不滿情緒也正在是一種巨大的，難以壓抑的創造力之源。

    2.發呆

    發呆的時候，你的大腦的思維是無限發散的，隨時可能出現“靈光乍現”一刻。

    3.彈鋼琴

    音樂可以讓人暫時擺脫生活的壓力，同時也可以讓你的左右腦同時進行思考。

    4.將你的世界涂成藍色

    沒有什么將廣闊的天空和大海相聯系更好的事了，當然，身處于藍色的世界也可以讓你更富有創造力。

    5.人以群分

    最妙的主意不是來處于一個人獨處時候，而是在與可靠的同事一起交換想法里蹦出來的。

    6.　身邊它鄉

    身處異鄉會激發出人的創造力，這種想法已經得到了大眾心理學的肯定，而科學也證實了這個觀點。

    7.更會玩鬧

    當工作壓力越來越大的時候，許多人會一籌莫展，而有研究表明，騎著馬四處溜達一下比長時間的呆坐在椅子里有效得多。

    8.　喝一杯

    許多最有創意的東東，如爵士樂和詩歌，都是在有幾分醉意的時候創造出來了。可是，喝個一兩扎啤酒能弄出這些東東嗎？