Da 🕵Creative thinking 💭

We can all get stuck in certain "tracks" of thought and fall victim to groupthink . These ideas may be so comfortable that we don't even realize that they're holding us back! So, to have fresh ideas, we need to break away from established patterns of thought and start to see new paths ahead.

Here are some of the best ways to do it:

Challenge Your Assumptions.

Rephrase the Problems.

Think in Reverse.

Mix Your Media.

1. Challenging your assumptions.

You likely bring a set of assumptions to each and every situation. Many of them may turn out to be true, but challenging your preconceptions can also open up some exciting possibilities.

2. Rephrase the Problem

The way you define or frame your problem can limit your creativity. If you describe the issue you're trying to solve in a different way, or look at it from a different angle, new solutions can emerge.

3. Think in Reverse

If you're finding it difficult to think of a new approach, try turning the problem upside-down!

Flip the question and explore the exact opposite of what you want to achieve. This can present you with innovative ways to tackle the real issue.

To come up with a new design for your website, for example, think about how you'd create the worst look possible. Trying to make it boring, frustrating and forgettable may give you some bold ideas for how to do the opposite.

4. Mix Your Media

Radical ideas can arise from tackling problems in unusual ways. A great way to do this is to apply different types of creativity – don't just talk or write about your plans, explore them through music, painting, photography, sculpture… whatever enables you to express yourself. Fresh thinking can emerge when you let your creative juices flow!.

Another way to generate new ideas is to make new and unexpected connections. Some of the best ideas seem to occur almost by chance – you see or hear something unconnected with the situation you're trying to resolve, and a lightbulb goes on in your head!

Try some of the following strategies for forging creative connections:

1. Random words. Pick a word at random from any document, then look for novel associations between that word and your problem.

2. Picture prompts. Images can be a great way to inspire creative thinking. Pick any image, find a connection with your problem – however tenuous – and notice any new possibilities that open up.

3. Objects of interest. How about asking your team members to bring a small object of their choice to your next ideas meeting? You could generate new ideas by asking questions such as, "How is this object like the problem we're trying to solve?" or "How could we use this object to meet our challenge?"

Finally, you can add extra dynamism to your thinking by taking a step back from your usual standpoint and viewing a problem through "fresh eyes."

You'll often get a surprising new take on an issue by talking to someone with a different perspective, maybe because of their age, life experience, or cultural background.