11–20 of 28 posts
Write your idea down, start your sentence with "What if..."
Then try to forget about it. Great ideas tends to come back and haunt you every day and night.
When they do, you know what to do (or find out how!).
Walking 2h daily used to be my main creative time. Now that I live in a big city is a bit more complicated to do.
Get a good note-taking app on your phone. Whenever you get an idea, write it down there. I use catch.com.
IIRC the process was something along the lines of...
1) Decide on a task or something that you do regularly (e.g grocery shopping) 2) Detail all the steps involved in completing the task (e.g walking round the store, finding items, comparing prices, putting items in cart, queueing up at checkout etc etc) 3) Rate each one in terms of annoyance/difficulty level 4) Start to brainstorm how the high annoyance steps could be easier.
I can't remember the exact steps - there was a bit more to it than that, but as a team of 4 we had some pretty cool ideas after an hour.
Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up when you're in the shower? It's because your mind has nothing to distract it.
When you're going from one place to another, turn off your MP3 player or car stereo (if you're walking / driving). Put your phone on airplane mode so you're not interrupted by texts and calls.
When you're at home, do one thing at a time. If you're doing the dishes, just do the dishes. If you're talking with other people, just talk, don't put on the TV in the background, turn off the radio.
Cultivate as much stimulus as possible overall - but do it one at a time. You should watch the movies you like, read that books you find exciting, explore just to explore. But you also have to take time to focus and just be.
The other important thing is to always have something to write on. Get yourself a tiny notebook that can fit in a jeans pocket, and even a golf pencil if it means you'll always carry it around. No idea is too small to jot down - they all add up.
The number one key to cultivating ideas is minimizing distractions. Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up when you're in the shower? It's because your mind has nothing to distract it. When you're going from one place to another, turn off your MP3 player or car stereo (if you're walking / driving). Put your phone on airplane mode so you're not interrupted by texts and calls. When you're at home, do…
However, if you're looking for useful idea, the solution is to have a problem. And then fix it in a way that other people can benefit from. And then charge them for it. They'll thank you.
Why is there so much emphasis on finding something new when there are a lot of successful businesses out there that you could copy and compete with?
Changing environments/motion. I find that I'm really creative when I'm travelling (mostly by train, driving a car is too distracting and flying is too shitty).
The number one key to cultivating ideas is minimizing distractions. Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up when you're in the shower? It's because your mind has nothing to distract it. When you're going from one place to another, turn off your MP3 player or car stereo (if you're walking / driving). Put your phone on airplane mode so you're not interrupted by texts and calls. When you're at home, do…
I would have said exactly the opposite. The way to get random new ideas is to pay attention to the world around you. Get our of your comfort zone. However, if you're looking for useful idea, the solution is to have a problem. And then fix it in a way that other people can benefit from. And then charge them for it. They'll thank you.
It's difficult to turn everything off and just go out in the world without anything to entertain or distract you.