#70 Today, stop and look at something differently.

Everyday we wake up, hit the snooze, workout…well, maybe…and make our way to our job. We go through whatever routine gets us going in the morning. Tea, coffee, check the email, and so on. We may have had this routine for several months or several years. So my question is, when is the last time you switched things up? Taken a different way to work? Went in early, or late (or on time)? Switched from coffee to tea, had pie for breakfast, pulled over to watch the sunrise?

If we think about it, routine permeates our lives. Sure, we may have crazy schedules that change from day to day, but we’ve developed certain ways of responding that have become habits. Maybe trying something new would change our the way we live and work for the better. Do you ever look at your work upside down?

Try these things for a new view: dust off your sketchbook. Or, sketch with crayons instead of pen or pencil. Actually take a lunch. (Some of you may, and for that you get a high five.) Share a project with someone. Take a walk. Work at Starbucks for a part of the day. Or, to look at your day upside down in a literal sense, lay on the floor to sketch or brainstorm. By doing these things, you’ll get an outsider’s view on your work life, and you’ll see much more clearly how you can improve things.

For starters, try this exercise. we will be posting more like this, so stay tuned!

It looks like a scribble. With a blank piece of paper and a pen or pencil, close your eyes and scribble all over the paper. Make the scribble as random as possible and scribble for as long or as little as you like. Open your eyes and look at what is on the paper. Now comes the fun part! Turn that scribble into something recognizable. Look at the positive AND negative space. Identify the shapes within the shapes. Recognize repeating patterns. Use you imagination and have fun! Thanks to pal Stefan Mumaw for exercise help - see more here.

What do you do to switch things up? We want to hear.