The act of creating is fun, until it's not. We design, strategize, and produce all day long. We brainstorm, sketch perhaps, and create in InDesign and Illustrator. This is exciting, and it's also a steady stream of creative output with no creative input. That's a recipe for depletion of resources such as energy, professionalism and humor. And when everyone is doing 2+ jobs per person and the work keeps increasing with ever-tighter deadlines, we end up in The Cubicle Coma. You know that grey rug wall of sameness and exhaustion? The well hath runneth dry.

So how can we consistently recharge and refresh? I believe the answer is TED.com. No, I do not get a kickback for this; I'm just passionate on energy replenishment and have found TED talks to be the fastest, most reliable tool in my arsenal.

TED is a site devoted to sharing "Ideas Worth Spreading" in the form of speakers and performers. There are thousands of TED talks, and the conferences are taking place in every corner of the world at an increasing frequency. The topics range from something you've never heard of to something you thought you knew everything about.

Watching a TED talk is like lifting off to a far away land without leaving your cubicle. It's a guaranteed Out-Of-Cube Experience and it will recharge you quickly and consistently. I'm a huge fan because...