10 ways to come up with breakthrough ideas

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We bet you have lamented more than once: "Well, why didn't I come up with this?" This usually happens with us when we hear about simple ideas and products that have brought the creators millions. Why didn't I come up with Dropbox and rolling suitcases? Why didn't I write Harry Potter and get a million dollars for the tagline "Mmmmm … Danon"? How are breakthrough ideas created? Creative expert Michael Mikalko talks about this.

Allow yourself to be creative

Let's start with one interesting story. One day, the director of a major publishing house wondered about the lack of creativity among the staff in the editorial and marketing departments. He invited highly qualified psychologists and tasked them with identifying the differences between the creative and the mediocre personality.

For a whole year, a team of psychologists worked with employees, and this is what we found out. It turns out there was only one difference between the members of the two groups. Creative people expressed the boundless confidence that they were creative. Whereas the mediocre employees were absolutely sure that they had no creativity.

Remember, the first step towards a good idea is to admit that you can come up with it. If you are sure that you are not a creative person, then you will never come up with anything.

Open up to new things

A wide variety of information revolves around us and can help create something new. View incoming advertising offers, notice trends in marketing, new products on the market. Read any newspapers and even leaflets handed out on the streets.

As a result of looking at all this information, what conclusions can you draw about the economy, business and culture? What stars are at the peak of popularity today? Why exactly they, and not someone else? Who are the heroes of our time? And how can you benefit from all this information garbage?

Ideological deadline

Just imagine, in his entire life the incomparable Thomas Edison patented as many as 1,093 inventions! He exercised his mind daily and was open to everything new. Every 10 days he invented something small, and every six months - something outstanding.

You can also set a specific quota for ideas for yourself. For example, generate two new ideas every day. Naturally, some of these thoughts will turn out to be stupid or already existing, but just imagine how many new ideas you can take on board!

Even if you puzzle over the first ideas for a week, then the thoughts themselves will revolve in your head, generating more and more new ideas.

Don't be afraid to experiment with everything that comes to hand

If at first this exercise seems stupid to you, then later you will understand its whole essence. By coming up with non-standard ways to apply familiar things, you train your mind and make it more flexible.

Try to take a lubricant and come up with five more ways to use it outside the box. Of course, the lubrication of bike chains and keyholes does not count. After all, this is precisely why it was invented. For example, you can use a birdhouse pole lubricant (to keep cats from climbing), musical instrument strings, and so on. Once you start exercising your brain on a daily basis, you will see the first results very soon.

Look for meaning even in meaningless things

Creative pioneer and psychologist Guildford firmly believed that in order to develop creativity, you need to see meaning even in meaningless things. Here's another exercise for you: Take at random 10 words that come into your head and try to make a clear sentence out of them. You can train as much as you like.

Start a journal for ideas

And write down the ideas that arise each day. After some time, you will surely see the connection between the generated ideas and the daily problems of people.

For example, you are chewing and you are suddenly struck by the idea of creating a chewing gum to measure your stress levels. And after a while, it occurs to you to measure the pH level using the same gum. Just imagine a person chewing gum. If after 5 minutes she turns blue, then everything is in order, if she turns red, you have to go home and go to bed.

Play with words and images

If you want to come up with something new, you can start by changing the words. How? Here's an example: the production manager of the French company OV'Action set out to develop a unique food product. But how can this be done if all well-known products are already on the market?

He went the other way and replaced the words "unique" and "develop" with the words "amazing" and "transform." As a result, the task arose for him in a new way: instead of creating something new, he set himself the goal of transforming something standard into something amazing. Initially, he thought what would surprise him the most. And in the end, I came up with square boiled eggs with yolk and a shelf life of almost a month. Moreover, the eggs are suitable for heating in a microwave oven.

Stretch the task

Ask yourself, "Why?" This will help you understand the main goal and understand the assumptions that lead to rethinking the task at hand. Imagine that you are faced with the task of selling as many computers as possible. So what are your actions?

Step 1:ask yourself the question "Why do I want to sell more computers?" - "Because sales are falling."

Step 2:"Why do I want to sell more computers?" - "So I will increase the volume of sales."

Step 3:"Why do I want to increase my sales?" - "Because in that case I will get a big salary."

In general, phrases like "How can I get rich" help to cover all kinds of ways and methods of making money. You can ask for a salary increase, you can start your own business, invest, and so on. Human possibilities are sometimes simply endless.

Squeeze the task

After you understand what to look for and get a general idea of the problem, compress it and turn it into a particular and specific idea. In this case, asking the right questions will help you. Let's give an example.

One design company set out to design a creative and functional waste bin. To squeeze the idea, the management asked the right questions: "Who can create the container?", "Where can I get the materials?", "What form can become original?" and the like. As a result of these tasks, the idea of a plastic trash can, stored in a folded form, was born.

Use riddles and puzzles

It is worth knowing that various riddles, puzzles and puzzles develop our brain very well and help to think outside the box. That is why solve puzzles and all kinds of charades more often. And we will help you with this.

Look at the arithmetic expression with Roman numerals. It is completely wrong. The question is: is it possible to fix it without touching the matches, without adding or removing them?

And now the answer: to solve the problem, you need to abandon the standard view of things. When you stick to one perspective, then you yourself drive yourself into a certain framework. Try to look at the solution to the example in a new way, and you will succeed.

Finally, we will advise you never to give up and not deviate from your intended goal.

By the way, how many minutes did it take you to solve the last puzzle?

Based on the book "Rice Storming and 21 More Ways to Think Outside the Box"