Being more open to other people’s ideas was the focus of yesterday’s post. Although you may not think of yourself as being creative, there are ways for you to come up your own set of ideas too. Here are some approaches that you can take to come up with new ideas, solve a problem or identify where there are issues that need to be addressed:
- Brainstorming – I like to set a time limit of 10 minutes, use post it notes and put one idea on each one. You can put them on the wall and organize them into various categories for further review. This may also spark other ideas after you capture them. It is a really good way to capture a lot of ideas in a group setting too.
- Freewriting – Write the problem you are trying to solve at the top of a notebook page. Start writing down everything that you can think of about the problem and possible solutions. It is best to do this in the morning for 30 minutes after you first wake up. Don’t think about it too much, just capture whatever comes to your mind. This may be something that you want to do for a few days in a row. As you get all of the things out of your head that you already know, it frees up some space and new ideas will show up as you write them down.
- New Perspective – Get exposure to different things that may give you new perspective. Watch TED talks, listen to podcasts, read articles or books, play with kids toys, go somewhere colorful and creative or meet with new people. Being around people, places or things that are different than what you would normally be around can spark new ideas. Try to think about how these new learnings could apply to a problem you have. Does it give you a new approach or idea to try?
- Get some sleep – Capture as much as you can about the problem and then go to sleep for the night. Looking at it after a good night’s sleep helps you come at it with a renewed sense of energy. It will help you see it in a different way or provide some new insight to be able to put the last pieces of the puzzle together.
These are all things that I have tried when I have been stuck with an issue or problem to solve. Sometimes it can be as simple as taking the pressure off of looking at it and walking away for 30 minutes before you come back to it again. You will be surprised at how creative you become and how easy the ideas will flow by trying out these approaches.
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