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The other day I generated ideas for a concept I was working on. A few ideas flowed but nothing to get excited about. I felt disappointed. Nothing had come out that was relevant to my challenge.

Hurry, hurry

I needed to come up with ideas in a hurry. But this isn’t the way to approach idea-generation despite what the so-called gurus preach. It’s better to be calm and relaxed. In fact, staying calm is a primary survival skill. Especially in these disruptive times.

The first thing I thought about was to generate a list of ideas. Simple but effective. A few ideas came but I wasn’t hitting any pay dirt. This is the trouble with rushing things. How can you expect to solve problems and come up with new solutions when you’re all uptight and tense?

It’s amazing how a simple list can work effectively as an idea generation tool. But the secret to this is that once you start generating a list and leave it for awhile, your mind starts working on additional ideas. The best thing to do is just to add these ideas to your list. When you have exhausted all the possibilities, you have  more options, sometimes many more, than then you originally hoped for. Generating more options than you need gives you more flexibility and ultimately you are able to make a better decision.

Magic ingredient

Generating new ideas can take time. It’s hard to believe these personal development superstars who say you must aggressively push for new ideas. Often your mind, your creative side, needs to be coaxed. A simple list can be boring for some so if you’re that way inclined look at photos for ideas, listen to your favorite music or go on a walk alongside the sea. Big solutions can grow from small things. As Dante Alighieri said, ”A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.”