New research released today from Microsoft reveals nearly half of Brits (44%) say it’s at least a weekly occurrence that they feel inspired by ideas for new projects, or by a fresh take on how to approach life. What’s more, 70% of Brits think they are creative, and 44% consider themselves entrepreneurial.
With an abundance of ideas amongst us, inspiration is found most whilst relaxing (29%), listening to music (25%) daydreaming (23%) and browsing online (23%).
However, 45% of Brits claim to have a ‘million-pound idea’ they have not yet acted on.
For many, the ideas are easy to imagine, but difficult to bring to life. Two thirds (63%) find it challenging to articulate their ideas, facing psychological and logistical barriers to beginning their project, including: lacking time (30%), lacking confidence (29%), not knowing where to start (22%), lacking the necessary skills (19%), believing they don’t have the experience (18%), and believing they don’t have the relevant tools (17%).
With one in five (20%) fearing failure, there are so many ideas that Brits have had, but have been dismissed as a result.
So, to help understand and inspire Brits to kickstart their plans, and to mark the launch of the latest Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft has partnered with leading UK psychologist, Honey Langcaster-James to provide a set of tips and advice to help encourage people to bring their ideas to fruition.
Top Tips from a Psychologist for Overcoming the Mental Barriers and Kick Starting Your Project – Honey Lancaster James
- Visualise the end goal: Keep your end-goal firmly in your mind by setting out your objectives and what your ultimate dream actually looks like, as clearly as you can. This will be your vision for success.
- Break down the project: By breaking things down into smaller steps, you’ll be able to see each task in the process in a less daunting way, helping the overall goal to seem more manageable
- Acknowledge your barriers: Recognising what has held you back so far is the best way to have a break through. Has it been the fear of failure, or lack of confidence? Understanding what has been putting you off for so long will help you work around the barriers.
- Utilise helpful tools: Technology has provided us with so many useful tools to help you beat procrastination and get off the starting block. Use AI to your advantage and allow it to support you and your goals.
- Focus on the process: Instead of only focusing on the end result, look at each action you’ve laid out for the project, and celebrate small steps in the right direction. Reduce pressure and enjoy the journey.
- Embrace imperfection: Perfectionism can be one of the biggest barriers as it leads to inertia and procrastination. Imperfection is all part of the process. Mistakes will inevitably be made, but you can learn from them.
- Challenge any negative thoughts: By replacing common thoughts like “Yes…but” with “Yes and…” you can shift to a more positive growth-based mindset. Then you can use steps as building blocks, and get things moving upwards rather than hitting dead ends.
- Seek support: Don’t try to do everything alone. You’ll only burn out. Try to remember to ask others for help, speak to your friends, family, or experts in that area, and if there’s no one you can think of for a particular problem, turn to technology for inspiration and guidance.
- Reduce stress and practise mindfulness: Bringing an idea to fruition can be stressful, so look after yourself. Mindfulness can help you stay present and focused, and keeping a journal with a gratitude list can help you stay positive and motivated along the way.
- Take a first step: The hardest part is always getting started. By taking the first step, almost any step at all, even if you discard things later, it will get some momentum going. With the help of AI it is much easier to make your first move.
Psychologist, Honey Langcaster-James comments: “In a 24/7 world it’s no surprise that many people don’t have the headspace to explore their creative genius. By reframing your mindset, and acknowledging your barriers, you can overcome your blockers. It’s important we also make the most of the technology and tools around us. AI can be really useful for people, especially anyone who is extremely busy and struggling to juggle multiple life and admin demands.”
Microsoft’s latest launch represents a groundbreaking and significant step forward in AI-integrated computing, offering users a more intelligent and efficient way to manage their tasks and projects through Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs.
Five Ways Microsoft Copilot+ PCs Can Help You Bring Your Idea to Life
- Articulate your vision: With the right questions and prompts, Copilot+ PCs can help you articulate your project’s vision and communicate it to others. It can provide you with step-by-step instructions on where to start, and how you can make it happen.
- Design your way: If you’re looking to create logos or help with branding, Copilot+ PCs can generate images and logos for you. Just ask it what you are looking for, and guide it with your design preferences.
- Understand your project: Copilot+ PCs offers AI assisted tools that can help plan your tasks, give you reports and suggest ways to manage your process.
- Gives you a timeline: Your own personal PA, Copilot+ PCs can help suggest a timeline for your activities, helping you keep on-track and remind you of important dates.
- Be more creative than ever before: Cocreator is a new feature in the Microsoft Paint app that allows you to create amazing artwork with the help of AI. You can enter a text prompt and start drawing on the Paint canvas, and Cocreator will generate beautiful artwork based on your input as you draw.
Head to Microsoft.com and discover more about the latest Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs launch.
