Training For Creativity

To dramatically increase creativity, develop creative habits of mind. Watch any good comedian and you'll notice that she has trained her mind to look for the "different angle" on everyday things. You can train your mind in a similar way.

Start to challenge assumptions, for example, until it becomes habit. Want ways to get customers into your store? Ask, "Do I really need more customers?" An assumption-challenging question like this suggests other creative solutions, like finding ways to make more money off existing customers, or ways to cut expenses. Maybe these will lead to more profitable ideas. Challenging assumptions increases the creativity of your solutions.

While driving to work, randomly choose anything around you and ask how it may be connected to whatever problem you're working on. A helicopter might make you think about a way to track where the car goes when you loan it to your kids. Palm trees may lead to a new design for patio umbrellas.

The "Assumption Challenging" and "Random Presentation" techniques are two classic creative problem solving tools among dozens more. Training your brain to habitually use these, and providing it with a little encouragement, can really increase your creativity.