How to Come Up With Better Ideas
4 Steps to More Original Thought
We’ve all had times when good ideas have been hard to find. It can be rough. Periods of your life can feel a bit like an “idea drought”. No growth. No innovation. I’m sure you know the feeling.
And yet, there are times when new thoughts come easy. It’s like they drop from the sky. How does that happen?
I believe that good ideas can be fostered. That innovation can be sparked by your habits.
Recently, I was listening to Seeking Wisdom and was pumped to hear that David Cancel feels the same way. Through his habits, he has been able to cultivate better ideas with more frequency. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Here are 4 techniques that I took away from the podcast. They were super helpful to me and I think you’ll feel the same way.
1. Be a Consumer. At Drift, learning is one of the core values of our culture (and one of the reasons that any employee can get free books). Books are the cheapest investment that you can make in yourself — use them. A $10 investment today can make a huge impact on your future thoughts. You have to be willing to spend time, money, and effort on yourself and your own growth. Remember that.
That said, be conscious of the books you choose to read. You are what you consume. As a general rule of thumb, the age and “staying power” of a book are the best indicator of it’s worth. If a book has remained relevant for the last 60 years, there’s a good chance that more thought was put into it. Those are the books worth reading.
Don’t be afraid to consume other things too. Like I said, you are investing in yourself. Podcasts and other mediums can be just as useful.
2. Walk Away. This is all about “unhooking your rational thought process”. You can’t be a consumer all of the time. Just think about it. When do you get your best ideas? In the shower? On your commute? When you walk around the block?
You have to disengage to let your mind digest. Don’t be afraid to do that. Learn what activities bring about the best thoughts. For some it’s running. For others, it’s when they listen to music. You need to actively discover when your own mind is disengaged. I know that it seems counterintuitive, but it works.
3. Free Yourself. For some reason, there is an unwritten rule in our society that you have to read only one book at once, or consume only one thing at once. That’s wrong.
Some of your best ideas will happen when you read multiple books at the same time. Something happens when you consume different ideas — they blend together. They morph into something. This is where originality happens and when innovation thrives.
4. Force Yourself to Write 10 Ideas Everyday. This is a great habit. Set aside 10 minutes in the morning, or whenever you have a free second, and write them down in a spare notebook. This will get you in the habit of cultivating ideas and producing them regularly.
The ideas might not be great at first, but they will improve. Habits take time to form and payoff. That said, the best part about this is that if you’re consuming a lot, these new ideas will come naturally.
