There is an almost endless variety of small ways to nurture your creativity. To keep the pilot light of your creative confidence lit, try these exercises whenever you have a moment during the day.

1. Read.

A world full of ideas and beautifully told stories exist. Reading five pages daily is infinitely better than zero pages per day, so start small to make it easier to maintain the habit.

2. Keep a journal.

Writing in a notebook for 10 minutes a day is a great way to connect with your creative self. Observation and its resulting empathy are a big part of the creative and innovative processes.

3. Use metaphors.

Finding a metaphor for something you're thinking about or struggling with will give you a new—and more emotionally relevant—way to think about it.

4. Write a haiku.

The genius of a haiku is that you only must write three lines. Making a daily practice of distilling a thought into a small poem is an excellent way to remind yourself that you are creative.

5. Collaborate.

The best way to get over reluctance to start a creative endeavor is to find a collaborator to serve as your accountability partner.