Generating Ideas
Idea generation is easy, until it isn’t. Once you hit that wall it can seem impossible to recover and generate new ideas. But you have ideas in you, you just haven’t surfaced them yet.
To surface new ideas you have to do one simple cliche thing, practice.
I know how it sounds, but it’s true. If you regularly set aside time where you generate ideas they will come. But it requires dedication to make it work.
You can’t just say you will spend half an hour a day with a notepad and spend that entire time scrolling Instagram for “inspiration.” You have to stop all else and fully dedicate the time you set aside for your ideas, otherwise its a complete waste.
Here’s what you can do to setup your space and mind for dedicated idea time.
Turn Off Electronics
The most distracting, idea stifling thing you have is your phone. Even if you think you can ignore it, the sound of a notification is enough to throw your mind out of its track and ruin a good idea session. So turn it off. If your argument is you need a digital medium to write your ideas down I suggest a laptop on airplane mode.
Before Starting, Gather Everything
Have you ever been working when you realize you need a drink of water. So you get up to quickly grab a glass when you notice some dishes in the sink, so you quickly put them in the dishwasher to see that the dishwasher is full and needs to be run. After getting that started you grab your glass and head back to your workspace when you trip over a kids toy, so you stop to put it away when you see a bowl of Cheerios spilled all over the couch. You see where this is going. It’s easy to get distracted and suck down your dedicated idea time so don’t let it happen. Grab some water, a pen, and a notepad. Now’s a good time to take a quick walk around if you need to stretch your legs so when you settle in everything is taken care of.
Set a Timer
I suggest starting with half an hour. That’s it, a quick thirty minutes which will feel like forever, so set an alarm to keep you going. You may have zero ideas in that entire time, but by sitting and doing nothing but staring at a blank page you may come up with something. Eventually, after doing this ritual over and over the thirty minutes will fly by and you’ll crave more, so work through the painful days when nothing comes to relish in the good ones.
Be Consistent
You don’t have to do this daily, although I recommend it. If you can only muster up 3 days a week of dedicated idea time then do it, but stick with it. Every single week keep your appointment with your ideas. As soon as you skip one it will be easier to make up an excuse to skip another, and another, and all of the sudden you notice its been a month since your last idea session. Force yourself to be consistent and keep your schedule.
Once you begin this idea making process you’ll start recognizing new ideas all over. Don’t wait, write them down for later to explore further in your session. If you want to read more about what to do when an idea hits, I have just the article for you. When an Idea Hits