Hello, idea generator
Coming up with ideas is easy. Coming up with great ideas is much harder.
The reason?
Your brain is lazy. It likes to conserve energy and default to what it already knows.
When you present a problem to solve, it’s normally satisfied with the first solution that comes to mind.
Most of the time, this resolves the issue, but in some cases, you need it to widen its thinking. That’s where the best ideas lie.
Below are some of the best ways to encourage your lazy brain to think outside its comfort zone.
1. Brian Eno’s ‘Oblique Strategy’ Cards
The famous music producer created a deck of unusual prompts to jolt artists and thinkers out of creative ruts. Guaranteed to spark originality through randomness!
2. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Technique
A brainstorming tool that asks how to Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, or Reverse elements of a problem. It’s a powerful, structured way to help you generate fresh ideas.
3. The Disney Method
Developed by Walt Disney, this approach explores ideas from three roles: the Dreamer (imaginative), the Realist (practical), and the Critic (analytical). Moving between these mindsets helps strike a balance between creativity and reality.
4. Edward de Bono’s ‘Provocative Operation’ Method
A lateral-thinking technique that introduces deliberately absurd or provocative statements (“cars should have no steering wheels”) to disrupt conventional thought.
It’s designed to uncover hidden assumptions and new possibilities.
5. Mind Mapping
A visual method of idea generation that starts with a central theme and branches outward into related concepts. It mirrors how the brain naturally forms connections, allowing ideas to grow organically.
6. Six Thinking Hats
Another de Bono tool that encourages teams to ‘wear’ different-coloured hats, representing distinct modes of thinking: logic, emotion, creativity, caution, optimism, and control. It separates emotion from reason to improve group decision-making.
What other creative thinking techniques would you add to the above list?
Big love,
Chris & the 42courses team x
