Why You Should Hit The Bar To Be Better At Your Job

If you’re mentally checked-out, ditching work at five o’clock and hitting up a local spot for happy hour drinks, you’re doing it wrong. It might be nice to get a little tipsy and gossip with your friends about matters totally unrelated to work, but you’re missing out on a big opportunity.

Have you ever found yourself out at four in the morning on a Thursday night saying, “Is this only a good idea because we’re drunk?” Well, maybe that was true when you peed on your college mascot, but a responsible buzz does stimulate creativity. I’m talking about getting business drunk and why you should be harnessing that power for good.

The Science of Business Drunk

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about the effects of alcohol: lowered inhibitions, increased sociability, purchasing a second Jimmy John’s sub when you should be sleeping... you know the deal. But because drinking alcohol decreases your working memory, it allows your brain to shift that energy towards making deeper connections that result in fresh ideas.

When you’re relaxed, alpha waves enter and activate the anterior superior temporal gyrus. This part of the brain is responsible for big insights, those epiphany moments where the idea comes to you like a flash of genius. And when you’re drinking, you’re relaxed, so your brain is producing those waves and activating your genius center.

How to Apply It

Now, getting sh*tfaced isn’t going to turn you into some brilliant idea-machine. But taking a breather can be an important step if you’re feeling a creative block. This might mean an extra couple minutes in the shower thinking about a project, a long walk with a co-worker at lunch, or grabbing a beer and turning that into a brainstorming session. The point is, the more you think about being creative, the more you’re going to become anxious, worried, irritable, or tired. Getting your mind off of the problem gives it room for the solution to emerge.

Think about our generation’s greatest genius, the next Steve Jobs apparently, the nucleus of the creative world: Kanye West. If you’ve ever seen videos of him (or really any other rapper) in the studio, he’s not drinking coffee in a suit behind a desk. He’s in some weird ass all-denim outfit/leather man-skirt, fucking around with his crew and lighting up an illegal imported cigar. He’s relaxed, he’s weird as hell, and he’s creative.

So go ahead, have a beer on your break, sit back and open your mind up to the next big idea. And if the answer never comes to you, then maybe it’s time to take business drunk up a notch and forget what you were worried about in the first place. Suddenly, the creative juices are flowing, and you’re on one.

Photo Courtesy: Thrillest