No student of the top PGDM colleges in Delhi NCR is alien to these two terms – creativity and productivity. While the former is pushed as a necessity to disrupt the traditional, the latter is crucial to get more things done in minimum time. Yet, the two are often placed at loggerheads with each other as it has been proven time and again that too much of one can hamper the other. An effective executive knows how to balance both. Successful entrepreneurs pour the two in the right mix to create unicorn-worthy companies. The balance is still a sought-after elixir for many as both need to live in harmony to deliver efficacy.
The tussle between productivity and creativity
One runs by the clock, the other cannot have any restrictions. One can be summoned at will, the other comes when it deems fit. Productivity and creativity operate on separate ends of the spectrum where your productive hours are seldom creative and your creative hours are hardly productive. Neurologically also, productivity and creativity make use of two different hormones to stimulate the brain and make it work. A hint of stress is good for productivity. But it is a killer of creativity. High levels of dopamine that relaxes the mind generate a stream of creative ideas but adversely affects the brain’s productivity. This tussle is ongoing. You cannot come up with creative solutions while you are at your desk crunching numbers. And you cannot pass a productive hour trying to write classic poetry.
The required balance
The modern dynamics, however, are entirely different. Economically speaking, companies will look for productive people but they cannot ignore the value of creativity. Google Maps is a product of productive executives who were also creative. And the leaps it took after its launch is a direct result of high productivity. The 21st-century needs graduates who are both creative and productive. Startups cannot survive in the competitive market if its founders do not the balance of these two valuable ingredients. It is for this reason that the top MBA/PGDM colleges in Delhi teach the tactics of maintaining the required equilibrium even when productivity and creativity refuse to stay in the same room.
How to balance productivity and creativity?
- Establish psychological boundaries
If your productive hours are spent in your office behind your computer, leave creativity for somewhere else. Inside your cabin, your mind will naturally be in a vigilant state as it knows that it is where you get your work done. Go out during lunch. Use your commute time to poke your creative side. Maintain different psychological and physical spaces for both to work. Once in that spot, your mind will know what it is supposed to do.
- Interact with people daily
And keep expanding your horizons. Avoid limiting your social interactions to meetings and negotiations. Have dinner with your friends, plan a casual outing with your colleagues. Start a random conversation in the train or talk to the store manager while picking up your groceries. During interactions, the mind subconsciously stores information and brings them out in new forms on your creative hours.
- Avoid mingling the two
If you had a creative epiphany during your productive hour, do not switch your mode. Instead, take note of that idea somewhere and get back to work. Similarly, avoid struggling with yourself and show productivity at a time meant for creativity. If lunch is when you allow your mind to run loose, try your best not to work in that hour. Sure, there can be exceptions on days but the balance cannot be disrupted.
- Make use of tools
Technology is already available that are helping executives to maintain their productive and creative hours. There are applications that divide your time into 25 minutes chunks of hyper-productivity followed by a 5-10 minutes break to rejuvenate your mind. You can also place timers to train your mind to snap out of work and go into the creative mode and come back again to work on the next bell. Find such a tool and get into the habit of using it.
As evident, just because the traits are contrasting, it does not mean you cannot pack them into one. Equipped with the knowledge of balancing, you only need to practice and stick to your habits. Such training start early in EMPI, one of the top B-schools in the list of AICTE approved PGDM colleges in Delhi. The institute passes out job-ready executives each year who are also natural entrepreneurs and adaptive thinkers. EMPI students are productive and they are creative. They know how to disrupt the market without a single dip in efficiency. The perfect balance is still non-existent. But a great executive knows the effective way to manoeuvre right.