Making it easier to come up with great ideas and then turn them into a reality should be a critical focus for any organisation looking to innovate. The question is, of course, how. These ten guiding principles can help in this process
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article which originally appeared on Business Advice
Just relax
The human mind has two main ways of thinking. One is with the logical, rational, analytical part of the brain, which we spend all our time using but which accesses only a small amount of the overall mental capacity that most people have. The other is the creative state which, on the other hand, can quickly use huge parts of that capacity, but is accessed by relaxing and having fun.
So, when trying to have ideas, get away from your desk to a place that makes you feel more human and that immerses you; ideas will, naturally, come more easily. This is likely to be very idiosyncratic – and this should be embraced. Individual creativity is precisely that – individual.
Talk it out
A sure-fire way to access a creative state is to head out with a friend or colleague and either sit in a café or go for a walk with them and talk non-stop at them about your idea for 20 minutes, quickly.
Every now and again you’ll say something that feels interesting or is borne of genuine insight.
Sleep on it…
…for a week. If you need to refine a rough concept, try pondering your idea before you go to sleep. Then, as soon as you wake up, write down whatever it is you’re thinking about. If you do that for five days in a row you’ll find that the stuff that comes to you in the morning will become more and more useful.
The science here is fascinating – this process communicates to your subconscious that you’re interested in what it’s telling you and, as a result, the subconscious begins to evolve, rapidly.
Doodle it
Visual representations of ideas are a superb way to get a handle on the first step in making them a reality. It really is as simple as getting a big piece of paper and some coloured pens and then doodling.
The critical point is to use the paper as an expansive tool to get stuff out of your head. In this regard, size matters. Make sure that the paper is at least A3, and that you have lots of it, so when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter.
Make it 3D
If pictures are a great evolution of words, then modelling is the playground of creative kings. If you are developing something physical, play around and build a prototype. The most amazing inventions have come from very little – the computer mouse came from a weekend of modelling with a butter dish and a roll-on deodorant.
Get playful
Einstein once said, “You will not solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.” So, if the issue being addressed is serious and logical, respond by being playful and don’t be afraid to experiment with it.
Break some rules and don’t worry about seeming professional. Play with the idea, come up with some crazy connections. Follow the example of Billy Connolly, “Never trust a man who, when left alone with a tea cosy,…doesn’t try it on.”
Make it real
Once you have a set of ideas there are a few things that can be done to make them real as soon as possible so that you can try them out and assess the reaction. Commit to the ideas by telling the world, your colleagues and anyone else who can hold you accountable so that it’s inevitable that you follow up. Direct feedback, early on, will help refine ideas.
Wake up!
To start to push the ideas forward; wake in the morning and identify the three things you need to do to make them happen. Write this list down; use it as a guide for any daily actions and then review progress at night. This can quickly push even the most ambitious ideas forward into the real world.
Fail
Failure is a wonderful thing – but only if you learn all you can from it, which means going over what your idea and actions led to. This process will accelerate any ideas into the league of the elite. One famous example is the Dyson vacuum cleaner which took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes. Dyson is now worth $4.9 billion.
Get fit
Be under no illusions – being creative, and then making those innovations a reality, will demand a lot of you. The ideas of sleepless nights, crazy excess and burning out are myths. Once you have an idea, it takes consistent discipline – and that often means making sure you are intentional about how you eat, exercise, rest and recover.
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