Home owners faced the worst drought in half a century in the US. Water rationing and conservation became imperative. So what could home owners do about their lawns?
Many decided to paint their lawns with green organic dye. It’s incredible isn’t it, that homeowners would rather spray their lawns green than replace them with indigenous grasses or even endemic plants that need little water?
Although spraying residential lawns may be new, golf courses and athletic fields have used green spraying for years to get a more deep green lush appearance.
Dyeing grass makes water conservation screen around the gills but the point I’m making is that new ideas often come about when people face crises. They have to do something to change or respond to events. It brings challenges and opportunities.
Small business owners and start-ups aren’t usually looking for ideas to solve lawn water problems but they often need to come up with ideas in a hurry.
What about when they need a new product or service to increase their sales offering? How about a tough negotiation where a solution to a deadlock seems virtually impossible? Rising energy costs can easily turn delivery vehicles into a heavy cash-draining liability – new ideas for delivery methods could save a small fortune.
Here are three simple but effective idea-generation methods that will produce better results for you whether you need to think of ways to increase sales, come up with new products or solve a problem that keeps you awake at night:
1. Speed exercise. Write down as many ideas as possible in three minutes without stopping. Don’t think this is silly. It actually builds your fluency and flexibility.
2. Discussion. Go discuss your problem with a trusted friend or colleague. Different perspectives will trigger new lines of thought. This method is often overlooked. Just look for the sharpest person you know who also thinks in an associative way.
3. Get away. Remove yourself from your problem. Go to some unusual or interesting place. Distance can spark new perspectives and insights. Your problem may also seem smaller than you’re making it out to be.
Brilliant ideas can materialise out of the blue. But don’t rely on it happening in a crisis. Use these three simple methods to pump your imagination and find new ideas and solutions.
Stay inspired
Chesney Bradshaw
