This 1 Weird Trick Helps These Creatives Constantly Stay Inspired

Excuse the clickbait headline. With attention spans shorter than the latest micro-micro-microtrend on TikTok, we had to bring out the big guns.

We’re a British creative team, living in Amsterdam and working at BETC Paris?!

It’s chaotic, it’s weird, it’s brilliant. And we think it plays to our advantage.

So as your focus dwindles by the nanosecond, here are some of the things that we’ve found inspiring enough on our journey to deserve their own clickbait headline (number four will shock you!).

1. You Won’t Believe What These Brits Found at the End of This Little Known Canal in Paris

BETC is in Pantin, at the end of the hipster Canal Saint-Martin, miles from the usual tourist clichés. Being in Pantin revealed a side of Paris we’d never experienced. The office itself, a converted warehouse, now pulses with creativity, often hosting art exhibitions. Recently, the New York Times featured BETC as part of Paris’ reinvention and it’s easy to see why. Inspiration is everywhere here: the energy of the streets, the art, the architecture, the people.

2. They Ate French Office Lunch Every Day and Were Shocked by the Results

We all know the French like to eat well. What we didn’t know is that they like to eat well in the office too. Each week there’s a new chef on hand to cook multiple fresh dishes every day. A classy three course meal at lunch sets you up for a much more productive afternoon than a Dutch lunch of chocolate sprinkles on bread or a Tesco’s finest meal deal ever could.

3. The Dutch hate them: The cycling city you'd least expect is leaving Amsterdam in the dust.

One thing we never expected about Paris is how popular cycling is. Apparently it even tops the European rankings as the safest place for kids to cycle. As Amsterdam residents, we’re used to getting ideas on two wheels. So when we came to Paris we had to try out the bike sharing platform; Vélib. Cycling through Paris is just a little different though. It’s chaotic, fast, and full of surprises. A new idea is much more likely to (quite literally) hit you in the face.

4. We Crossed a Border and Suddenly Had Better Ideas. Coincidence? Experts Say No.

Amsterdam offers quiet, green spaces perfect for thinking. Paris, in contrast, is a metropolis that floods you with new stimuli: architecture, food, art and people. Making that switch between these two very different environments is invaluable for sparking new ideas.

We’ve also found a real hack within the bit in between: the three-hour Eurostar ride where the Wi-Fi barely works, turning the train into a distraction-free, high speed, mobile office.

5. So what's the One Weird Trick? Switch Things Up.

Switching things up keeps you fresh. Whether it's exploring a new part of town, a new coffee shop or simply sitting in a new part of the office. Try it today. You won’t believe what happens next.