How engineers can unlock creativity

In stressful times, it can be hard to focus on day-to-day tasks, much less big ideas. Research from Harvard Business Review shows how mindfulness practices can help engineers solve problems. Erin Sonn, M.Ed., who teaches mindfulness at The George Washington University and in private practice, explains, “Stress turns our energy into survival. We constrict our flow of creative thinking.”

She likens our minds to snow globes, thoughts swirling around. Letting thoughts settle invites clearer thinking. “Mindfulness creates space by unpacking the mind, and in this space curiosity and creativity flourish,” she says. “Now is a great time to practice.”

– Melissa Mathews, The Engineering 100