Coming up with new ideas is hard and sometimes overwhelming. Yet we live at a time when content creation seems unavoidable and necessary. There is a constant pressure to find new ways to streamline and improve the work process. New approaches are needed to deal with a changing culture. Standing out is necessary in a competitive environment. And if you don’t meet the expectation, you know that you will be left behind.
How can you continually come up with new ideas? Is it possible?
Yes it is!
And the first thing you’ve got to do is realize that ideas don’t just come out of thin air. That is where brainstorming comes to play.
Brainstorming is a way of forcing your brain to come up with ideas. It involves following a plan – a pattern – a process. So, let’s consider how we can engage our minds.
Whatever the issue or problem you are facing, write down everything that you know about what you are facing and what needs to be done.
Then write “What if” by each of those statements, and complete questions for your list. You could write things like…
- What if I could do this using something else?
- What if I don’t have exactly what I think I need? How could I do it then?
- What if I didn’t have any help? How could I keep things going?
- What if I only had 20 minutes to do it? Is there something that could help me shorten the process?
Don’t assume that you already know the answer. Challenge yourself.
Then think about what could be excluded. We often focus on adding a new thing to our existing process, but we may need to cut something or some things out (including old processes). We often try to overextend ourselves by marketing in several ways when we could start with one way and add another when-and-if the time is right. You may be surprised at the results and the shortened completion time by doing this.
Sometimes it is a good thing to cut things out.
Also, consider what others have done – like mind maps. Lots of people believe mind mapping is crucial. Some believe it’s vital to get everything in a document or spreadsheet. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and use new ways to process new ideas. You want your brain to respond differently, so try some different modes of using your brain.
There are lots of other things you can consider in this endeavor. I’m listing two good resources below that you may want to use. Just click a picture to find out more…
