Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection
How to create a productive environment
The importance of self-care in productivity
How to avoid distractions
Remove judgment
When you approach a task in a new way, it's easy to judge unusual ideas harshly and reject them.
Be open to new perspectives instead of limiting your options. At first, you should not consider any idea as too strange.
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Make a conscious effort
Studies suggest that it's possible to teach your brain to move away from functional fixedness and embrace creative thinking.
When faced with a task or problem at work, try stepping away from how it's always been done. Instead, explore the problem creatively to find alternative solut...
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Abstract the problem
A step away from functional fixedness is to break a problem into its basic components. Instead of focusing on the details, only focus on the essential elements. When the problem is stripped from unnecessary detail, you're less likely to fall back on functional fixedness.
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Look for inspiration
A different industry in another sector could have a simple solution to your issue that you have not thought of due to function fixedness.
Explore adjacent industries for creative solutions. For example, ask a friend how they would approach your issue in their industry.
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Expand your network
Crowdsourcing is an excellent way to get the support of external participants to find solutions.
For example, LEGO encourages fans to submit their own ideas instead of only relying on in-house designers. The most popular will be reviewed, and if approved, will be manufactured.
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Functional fixedness
Functional fixedness is a bias where we can only think of a narrow set of functions for a tool. A knife is made to cut things. A cotton swab is for cleaning your ears.
It is common to stick to what we know. We become comfortable repeating tasks in a way that fits with our p...
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Functional fixedness experiment
Karl Duncker first described functional fixedness in 1945.
In a study, participants were given a candle, a box of tacks and a book of matches. Participants were challenged to attach the candle to a wall so that it would not drip on the floor. Instead of noticing that the ...
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Feeling overwhelmed by unfinished tasks
We often feel overwhelmed when we have too many tasks floating around in our heads. One way to calm that feeling of anxiety is to follow productivity guru David Allen's advice: You really should capture your open loops.
An open loop is any kind of commitment or tas...
The two minute rule
The two minute rule states, "When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do".
The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start.
A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that you follow can be challenging, but the f...
Other Tips From Jordan Peterson For a Better Life
- Consider that any hierarchy creates winners and losers. The winners are more likely to justify the hierarchy and the losers to criticize it.
- Understand that hierarchy is inescapable. The pursuit of goals lends life meaning and the collective pursuit of goals produces hi...
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