100 Simple, Low-Cost Ways to be More Creative on the Job

by Mitch Ditkoff

 

1.Ask the most creative people at work for their ideas.

2.Brainstorm(头脑风暴) daily with a co-worker.

3.Tape record your ideas on your commute(通勤) to and from work.

4.Present your challenge to a child.

5.Take your team off-site(非现场) for a day.

 

6.Listen to your inner(内部) muse(冥想).

7.Play music in your office.

8.Go for a daily brainstorming(头脑风暴) walk.

9. Ask someone to collaborate with you on your favorite project.

10.Exercise during your lunch break.

 

11.Turn on a radio at random times and listen for a "message."

12.Invite your customers to brainstorming sessions(集体讨论会).

13.Think of three other ways to define your challenge.

14Remember your dreams.

15Reward yourself, in specific ways, for small successes.

16Introduce odd catalysts into your daily routine.

17Get out of the office more regularly.

18Play with fun toys in your office whenever you get stuck.

19Take more naps.

20Ask for help.

21Work in cafes.

22Transform your assumptions into "How can I?" questions.

23Write down as many ideas as you can think of in five minutes

24Redesign your office.

25Take regular daydreaming breaks.

26Dissolve turf boundaries.

27Initiate cross-functional brainstorming sessions.

28Arrive earlier to the office than anyone else.

29Turn a conference room into an upbeat "think tank" room.

30Read odd books - having nothing to do with your work.

31Block off time on your calendar for creative thinking.

Take a shower in the middle of the day.

Keep an idea notebook at your desk.

Decorate your office with inspiring quotes and images.

Create a headline of the future and the story behind it.

36Choose to be more creative.

Recall a time in your life when you were very creative.

Wander around a bookstore while thinking about your challenge.

Trust your instincts more.

Immerse yourself in your most exciting project.

41Open a magazine and free associate off of a word or image.

Write down your ideas when you first wake up in the morning.

Ask yourself what the simplest solution is.

Get fast feedback from people you trust.

Conduct more experiments.

46Ask yourself what the market wants or needs.

Ask "What's the worst thing that could happen if I fail?"

Pilot your idea, even if it's not ready.

Work "in the cracks" - small bursts of creative energy.

Incubate (sleep on it).

Test existing boundaries - and then test them again.

52Schedule time with the smartest people at work.

Visit your customers more frequently.

Benchmark your competitors - then adapt their successes.

Enroll your boss or peers into your most fascinating project.

Imagine you already know the answer. What would it be?

57Create ground rules with your team that foster new thinking.

Ask stupid questions. Then ask some more.

Challenge everything you do.

Give yourself a deadline - and stick to it

Look for three alternatives to every solution you originate.

62Write your ideas in a notebook and review them regularly.

Make connections between seemingly disconnected things.

Use creative thinking techniques.

Play with the Free the Genie cards.

Use similes and metaphors when describing your ideas.

67Have more fun. Be sillier than usual.

Ask "How can I accomplish my goal in half the time?"

Take a break when you are stuck on a problem.

Think how your biggest hero might approach your challenge.

Declare Friday afternoons a "no-email zone."

72Ask three people how they would improve your idea.

Create a wall of images that inspires you.

Do more of what already helps you be creative off the job.

Laugh more, worry less.

Remember your dreams - then write them down.

77Ask impossible questions.

Eliminate all unnecessary bureaucracy and admin tasks.

Create a compelling vision of what you want to accomplish.

Work on hottest project every day, even if only 5 minutes.

Do whatever is necessary to create a sense of urgency.

82Go for a walk anytime you're stuck.

Meditate or do relaxation exercises.

Take more breaks.

Go out for lunch with your team more often.

Eat lunch with a different person each day.

87Ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Invite an outside facilitator to lead a brainstorming session.

Take more risks outside of the office (i.e. surf, ski, box etc.)

Ask for help when you need it.

Know that it is possible to make a difference.

92Find a mentor.

Acknowledge all your successes at the end of each day.

Create an "idea piggy bank" and make deposits daily.

Have shorter meetings.

Try the techniques in "Awake at the Wheel"

97Don't listen to or watch the news for 24 hours.

Make drawings of your ideas.

Bring your project or challenge to mind before going to bed.

Divide your idea into component parts. Then rethink each part.

Post this list near your desk and read it daily.