Today we take a break from our usual tips and strategies for being MORE creative to discuss the exact opposite idea. After all, at this point you probably have so much creative energy that you need to slow it down or shut it off.

What are some good ways to crush your creativity?

1. Surround yourself with uncreative, unadventurous people. If you do this, you can be sure that any creative urges you have will be squashed as soon as they appear. Also, make sure the people around you are less intelligent than you are. That way, they won’t challenge you, just limit you.

2. Write a bad review of your project before you’re even finished. Before you finish a project, start writing a review in your head. Just list all the faults and be as harsh as possible. Don’t give constructive criticism, in fact don’t even focus on the material, critique yourself personally. Doing this can guarantee you’ll never finish.

3. Start it tomorrow. You’re really busy today. Everything should clear up tomorrow. And if it’s not better tomorrow there’s always the day after that.

4. If your energy starts to lag, put it aside for later. Don’t worry. You’ll get to it.

5. Deny any solution that comes from inside the box. Wait until you have an idea that is crazy original. No one wants to see a great, classic idea well-presented. Nope, people want everything to be amazingly original. In fact, if anyone has done anything remotely similar to what you want to do, why bother?

6. You’re an adult, act like it. Creating shouldn’t be fun. Unless it feels like work it’s probably terrible. In fact, the whole idea sounds silly. Nothing is fun. Nothing is funny. Any idea that you have the might make someone question your position as a responsible adult shouldn’t be spoken aloud. Just squash them down into your stomach, they can help plug your ulcer.