You may not have thought about it lately, but it might help to think about where (and when) you do your best thinking.
It is important for us to set time aside each day for thinking. That’s not always going to happen, but when it does, we should use our time as effectively as possible.
It may even be that you don’t get to do as much creative thinking as you would like.
Here are some tips on how to stimulate creative thinking:
- Always ask, “Why?” Then ask, “Why?” again.
- Follow your instinct. But don’t always trust it.
- Do something mindless, like exercise, and let your mind wander.
- Hang out with smart, fun people who don’t share all your interests.
- Go to the zoo or a museum.
- Stop thinking and start writing. Or drawing your ideas. Do something.
- If you’re trying to solve a problem, put it in a context or metaphor or analogy that makes sense to you. Stop thinking about products and start thinking about sports or music or cooking.
- Get up out of your chair and go talk to someone.
Please share your ideas for what works for you.
3 responses so far ↓
Brock // July 10, 2008 at 2:11 pm
To spur creativity,
* I write for fun. In my case, I write Letterman style Top 10 lists.
* I also try to break my routine. That means thining in different places or at different times than usual. And recongizing that what used to be different (e.g. strategizing at the coffee shop) has now become routine. So, I challenge myself to break the routine.
* Oh, and I also like to visit collegehumor.com to spur thinking. Nothing does the trick like childish humor.
marty mc'clure // July 11, 2008 at 1:09 am
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American Copywriter // July 12, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I do my best thinking when I don’t allow myself to time overthink. If I’m stuck, I walk away. There’s no forcing a good idea. You just have to entertain yourself while you wait for it to seep through.