WAYS TO GENERATE IDEA

Engage in Observation Sessions

• Great ideas won't happen in a vacuum. You need

some way of getting your brain to think in new and
creative ways. Commit time to specific sessions where
you stimulate your brain into thinking differently.
Socialize Outside Your Normal Circles

• Hanging around with the same friends and colleagues can get
you in a thinking rut. Take advantage of all those LinkedIn
connections and start some exciting conversations. New people
don't know all your thought patterns and old stories, so you'll
have to revisit your existing inner monologues. The refreshing
perspectives will help to surface new thinking and possibly a
lightning bolt or two.
Read More Books

• Books are wonderful for creating new thoughts and

stimulating great ideas. For a long time, I didn't read much.
When I added business books to my routine, it helped me
learn more and expand my way of thinking. But several
years ago, I started again reading fiction and histories.
These stories really got me out of my daily headspace an
Randomly Surf the Web

• Google is great when you know what you are

looking for, but the best way to generate new
ideas is with unexpected learning
Keep a Regular Journal

• A journal is great for recording thoughts, feelings

and the history of your life. It also is a great way to
structure and develop ideation habits
Meditate

• It's hard to come up with great ideas when your mind is crowded
with everyday thoughts and concerns. You need quiet space.
Meditation will help you clear your mind of daily business and stress.
Then you can quietly focus on your future -- or solving world issues.
Commit to two hour-long sessions every week and soon you'll find
new ideas flowing.
Connect the Unconnected

• Some of the best ideas seem to occur just by chance. You

see something or you hear someone, often totally
unconnected to the situation you are trying to resolve, and
the penny drops in place. Newton and the apple,
Archimedes in the bath tub; examples abound
Reword the problem

Stating the problem differently often leads to different ideas. To

reword the problem look at the issue from different angles. "Why do
we need to solve the problem?", "What's the roadblock here?", "What
will happen if we don't solve the problem?" These questions will give
you new insights. You might come up with new ideas to solve your
new problem.
Speak your ideas.

• Just like it’s helpful to regurgitate the ideas of others, it’s also
powerful to speak our own ideas out loud. Express the idea to
somebody else and explain it spontaneously. Don’t read it from
your notes, say it to somebody extemporaneously. The process
of communicating an idea — even if we don’t solicit feedback—
helps us clarify the idea and see it in a new way. Something
happens when we speak our ideas that doesn’t happen when
we write them — and vice versa.
Vary where and when you think.

• Routines are helpful in habit-building, but when it comes to idea generation

don’t be afraid to mix it up. Rather than set a specific time to brainstorm, we can
train ourselves to do so at different times and in different locations. When we
try to come up with an idea for something, we don’t have to be seated at our
desk or in our office. Even science proves we can’t be creative without moving.
Ideas can just as easily come in the shower, on a walk, while driving, or while
doing the dishes. We can brainstorm when we wake up one day, at lunch the
next, and right before bed the day after that. A variety of environments often
sparks a wider variety (and higher quality) of ideas.