5 steps to becoming a creative thinker

Creative thinkers use their minds fluently.  This means they generate large numbers of ideas.

You can learn to do this,too, by following five simple steps.

Step One: Silence your ‘inner critic’

Don’t discard any ideas until you reach the third stage of thinking. You need to spark creativity by allowing ideas to flow unchecked.

 

Step Two: Generate large numbers of ideas

Push yourself beyond the first three notions you think of. Creative ideas are rare, so you need to stretch your imagination in order to find them. Continue thinking until you’ve gone beyond habitual solutions and produced at least five new ideas.

 

Step Three: Write down what you’ve come up with.

Psychologists say we can only remember up to nine ideas at once. Jotting down lists stops you recycling the same concept many times. It also focuses your attention on the problem and speeds up your thinking.

 

Step Four: Keep your list of ideas visible at all times.

This will prompt you to improve them. Try combining two or more concepts and modifying each idea separately.

 

Step Five: Edit your ideas

Only do this after you’ve completed the previous four steps.  The editing process is used to sort out ideas that will work in real life.  Once you’ve crossed off the impractical ideas, sort the remaining ones into priority order.

 Book Eleanor Shakiba to train your team in the art of creative thinking.