When stuck creatively, "try to do some BAD work"

Excerpt from a letter by the artist Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse. Hat tip to Gwarlingo.

Try to do some BAD work – the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell – you are not responsible for the world – you are only responsible for your work – so DO IT. And don’t think that your work has to conform to any preconceived form, idea or flavor. It can be anything you want it to be…

This quote gets me thinking of deliberate mistakes - actions you take counter to your ingrained thinking, to explore your boundaries and challenge your assumptions. For creative people, this is great advice. But for those who don't think of themselves as "creatives," are there times when this attitude can be helpful? I wouldn't recommend telling your boss to take a flying f--- or stroll into a meeting 20 minutes late just to see what would happen. But, perhaps there are things you can do:

• Write your status report as if you were explaining to your teenaged child what you did this week.
• Consider one area at work that has always bugged you, and write down four suggestions for fixing it.
• Put yourself in your subordinates' shoes - what two or three things would you want your boss (you!) to do to support you and your work?
• Sort all your responsibilities into three categories: Investment activities that enhance your long-term career and personal objectives; Neutral activities which are necessary to do well but don't require "A" grade work; and Optimize activities for which C-grade work is fine and excellence won't yield any incremental benefit. What percentage of your time are you spending on each category? (See my resolutions post for more on this.)

What would you recommend to make your work "anything you want it to be"?