SDS 068: Stimulate your creativity

So today I’ve got a very cool life hack to share with you, something that I’ve been doing for many, many, many years now. Probably like 5 or more, maybe even 7 years. And this life hack will help you stimulate your creativity. So first of all, why do we need to stimulate our creativity? Well that is because we are in the space of data science. We want to be really successful data scientists and analysts. And as we know, machines are advancing every single day and therefore, a lot of the tasks are getting automated. Not just in the world, like drivers, or truck drivers, or some roles in fast food services and so on, or tellers, or shop assistants who check out your groceries. So a lot of jobs are getting automated. But even in the space of data science, companies like Data Robot and others are slowly starting to automate the mundane and repetitive tasks of data science. And the only room where humans are still surpassing machines, and probably will be for quite some time, is the space of creativity, where you apply your creative skills in order to come up with non-standard solutions and really solve challenging problems in very elegant and graceful ways. And that shows why creativity is important.

And now off to the life hack. So it will sound very strange, and it will sound very basic, I guess. Rudimentary. But at the same time, bear with me and I think you will appreciate it. So the tip is if you are – this is for right handed people. Because as you know, the brain is cross-wired, so your right hand is controlled by your left hemisphere, and your left hand is controlled by your right hemisphere. And your logic resides in your left hemisphere, whereas your creativity resides in your right hemisphere. So if you’re a left-handed person, you’re already using your left hand to write and the mouse is in your left hand, then you’re probably already fine. You’re probably already very creative. But you could still use this hack to stimulate your logical brain, your left hemisphere. So just flip it over and use your right hand for this hack.

But if you’re a right handed person, then this hack is that when you brush your teeth, use your left hand. I know it sounds bizarre. It sounds crazy. But actually my dear mother told me about this many years ago, and I was like “Wow, that’s pretty cool. It doesn’t cost me anything. It’s not like I have to write with my left hand. Or have to eat with my left hand. Or do anything very important in my life. It’s just brushing my teeth. It’s 5 minutes a day total. It will take me 3, 4, 5 days to learn how to do it with my left hand, and then I’ll just do it.”

And I’ve been brushing my teeth with my left hand for the past, I don’t know, maybe 7, maybe 10 years. I lost track of that. And every single time — well maybe twice a year I brush my teeth with my right hand. Just hold your toothbrush in your left hand and brush your teeth with your left hand. I can’t attest to whether it works or not, I haven’t done any statistically significant tests around creativity, I don’t have a group of people that I can tell you that their creativity has increased. I don’t think a test like that has been run, although maybe have a look online. Maybe somebody did run a test like that or something similar. But at the same time, I can tell you that I think my creativity is up to par. When I need to, I can come up with ideas and I can come up with interesting approaches to solve problems.

So if anything, it doesn’t hurt, and most likely it’s actually beneficial simply because there are lots and lots of studies showing that your right hemisphere is linked to your left hand. And if you are a right handed person, think about it. How often do you do things with your left hand? Not that often. You’re mostly using your right hand to write, your mouse is in your left hand, and so on. So this could be something to change up in your life and give it a go. And maybe you will notice an increase in your creativity within a few weeks or a few months. And then let me know and it’ll be a good validation of this exercise.

I hope that inspires you a little bit and maybe you’ll give it a go this weekend. If not, then maybe you’ll find other ways to stimulate your creativity in your daily lives and on a day to day basis. And on that note, I hope you have a fantastic day and I look forward to seeing you next time. Until then, happy analyzing.