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Want those great ideas to start coming? You could try waiting to see if they pop into your head someday, but if you want a more systematic method you can use today, here it is in three simple steps.
Get knowledge in the area in which you want the ideas.
Use idea-generating techniques.
Filter out several ideas and choose the best.
Great Ideas Start With Knowledge
If you were a baseball pitcher, you wouldn't be able to come up with a way to baffle a mutant cross between Babe Ruth and Willie Mays if you can't even tell a fastball from a curveball. You need some degree of knowledge in the area in which you want new ideas. But for those truly out-of-this world great ideas, you need a veritable Fort Knox of knowledge.
To create a new transportation device, for example, you would want general knowledge in that field, as well as more specific knowledge. You might need to know specifics about the current forms of transportation, for instance. Other things you might want to consider would be a list of failed ideas, and a list of things that people would prefer to see when taking public transportation.
Using Tools to Come Up With Great Ideas
Ideas and inventions start in the mind, and the mind follows certain patterns and rules. This is where tools come in - no, not Allen wrenches or ball peen hammers, but rather problem solving techniques, among other ways to generate ideas. Try the concept combination technique, for instance - it's fun. Instruct your mind to think of two things, such as a plane and motorcycle, and how they can be combined. It took me, for instance, just five seconds to come up with this idea - a motorcycle with wings that automatically sprout as it flies off the edge of a cliff, thus making me, in theory, a worthy successor to Evel Knievel.
Another technique you may wish to try would be redefining problems - this reveals so many hidden avenues and byways for your mind to drive through. The words "cheap homes" may connote living in the boondocks with no electricity or running water, but if you redefine it as "inexpensive" or "affordable" homes, people would think of financing methods to deal with the current housing crisis. The word "job" connotes a task, an obligation, something you have to do, but "way to make money" sounds like something that has something in it for you. These are just two fantastic tools to use when generating great ideas - it's up to you to choose the one that works the best for you.
Many Ideas To Choose From
The more ideas you come up with, the more likely you are to find good ones to work with. This underscores the essence of working systematically to come up with new and better concepts. Finally, if "great" means "important" to you, you need to work in important areas. Coming up with the proverbial better mousetrap is all well and good, but maybe you have other great ideas with a more noble intent, such as propagating world peace, developing a cure to cancer, saving the world's youth from corrupting influences and feeding every starving nation in the world.
Get knowledge in the area in which you want the ideas.
Use idea-generating techniques.
Filter out several ideas and choose the best.
Great Ideas Start With Knowledge
If you were a baseball pitcher, you wouldn't be able to come up with a way to baffle a mutant cross between Babe Ruth and Willie Mays if you can't even tell a fastball from a curveball. You need some degree of knowledge in the area in which you want new ideas. But for those truly out-of-this world great ideas, you need a veritable Fort Knox of knowledge.
To create a new transportation device, for example, you would want general knowledge in that field, as well as more specific knowledge. You might need to know specifics about the current forms of transportation, for instance. Other things you might want to consider would be a list of failed ideas, and a list of things that people would prefer to see when taking public transportation.
Using Tools to Come Up With Great Ideas
Ideas and inventions start in the mind, and the mind follows certain patterns and rules. This is where tools come in - no, not Allen wrenches or ball peen hammers, but rather problem solving techniques, among other ways to generate ideas. Try the concept combination technique, for instance - it's fun. Instruct your mind to think of two things, such as a plane and motorcycle, and how they can be combined. It took me, for instance, just five seconds to come up with this idea - a motorcycle with wings that automatically sprout as it flies off the edge of a cliff, thus making me, in theory, a worthy successor to Evel Knievel.
Another technique you may wish to try would be redefining problems - this reveals so many hidden avenues and byways for your mind to drive through. The words "cheap homes" may connote living in the boondocks with no electricity or running water, but if you redefine it as "inexpensive" or "affordable" homes, people would think of financing methods to deal with the current housing crisis. The word "job" connotes a task, an obligation, something you have to do, but "way to make money" sounds like something that has something in it for you. These are just two fantastic tools to use when generating great ideas - it's up to you to choose the one that works the best for you.
Many Ideas To Choose From
The more ideas you come up with, the more likely you are to find good ones to work with. This underscores the essence of working systematically to come up with new and better concepts. Finally, if "great" means "important" to you, you need to work in important areas. Coming up with the proverbial better mousetrap is all well and good, but maybe you have other great ideas with a more noble intent, such as propagating world peace, developing a cure to cancer, saving the world's youth from corrupting influences and feeding every starving nation in the world.
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