We are all born with the ability to think in creative ways. If you don't use that potential, it's probably because you don't know and use the simple rules for developing it. We can fix it right away.
There are two main rules for creative thinking:
- If you make these methods and techniques a part of your mental habits, it will be easy and natural for you to think creatively.
- There are ways and methods of thinking creatively.
An entrepreneur looks for ways to make money because that's how his mind is trained. Because of how his mind is trained, a lawyer can see problems before they happen. How we think over and over again turns into a habit, and that's how you train your mind. If you learn how to think creatively and use those skills until they become a habit, you'll be able to think creatively as easily as a politician can lie.
The Techniques of Creative Thinking
There are a lot of creative ways to solve problems that you can learn. "Concept-combination," for example, will have you combine roses and clocks to make the first alarm clock that wakes you up with a soft scent. Use the "random-presentation" method and a cell phone can give you the idea to take dictation while walking with a pocket tape recorder, so you can get some exercise and still get your work done.
Creative thinking is more than just coming up with new ideas or solving problems. A truly creative mind is always asking questions, not just coming up with answers. Pay attention to three things to be more creative all the time:
- Don't hold back on your ideas. It seems silly to have furniture that can fly, but it could give rise to the idea of a hover-lifter. Slide the device under the piece of furniture, and a cushion of air will lift it up, making it easy to move. Don't stop being creative. Just chill out and let ideas come to you. You can always get rid of them later.
- Question what you think you know. What would happen if a restaurant didn't have staff? Customers could pay at a machine as they walked in and feed themselves at a buffet. If everything could be automated as much as possible, one owner-operator might be able to run a big restaurant by themselves. Question everything. Should you go to work? Do pools need water? Is it always a good thing to go to school?
- Change the way you look at things. Imagine what a dog would think about how busy you are. This could help you figure out what you do that isn't necessary. If you think in terms of dollars per day instead of dollars per hour, you might be able to come up with a way to let employees go home when they reach a certain goal. Almost certainly, they would work more efficiently, and you could change their daily pay and quotas so that you and they both made more money. Think about everything from different points of view.
Creating habits for creative thinking
P>Use the above techniques enough and they will become a natural part of the way you think. Most habits take a few weeks to form, so you need to find a way to remind yourself every day during that time. Try writing down a few of your favourite techniques on a card and carrying it with you. Pull it out all day and use the techniques on anything. Soon, it will be normal for you to think of things in new ways.
