Second Cup: How to get more ideas

Stumped? A simple strategy will nudge more breakthroughs.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about how to get new ideas. Everyone
likes to talk about innovation as this big, fancy concept,
but if you think about it, innovation just means coming
up with new ideas, preferably lots of new ideas. Because
creativity turns out to be a numbers game. Some stuff

(00:25):
will work and some stuff won't, so we've got to
throw a lot of stuff at the wall to see
what sticks. But very few people build much thinking time
into their lives. Instead, most of us spend our days
responding to emails, tramping to status meetings, and leaving precious
little time open. Then we wonder why our brains feel
so fried. Unfortunately, the cycle of reactivity is incredibly counterproductive.

(00:49):
By responding to everything immediately, we don't carve out the
space to come up with the ideas that make people
want to email us in the first place. Some people
might be able to go off into a it in
the woods for months at a time, but I think
most of us need to come up with more realistic
ways to build strategic thinking into our lives. Fortunately, there
are simple steps we can take to get our brains

(01:09):
into churning mode quickly. In my time management fable Juliette
School of Possibilities, Riley, the heroine comes up with her
career saving idea while she is biking on the boardwalk.
She's so busy, but she's reluctantly pulled herself away from
her inbox. Then, almost by magic, she figures out an
answer that had eluded her before. That scene is fiction,

(01:33):
but I wrote it because it feels so true to life.
How many of us get our best ideas while driving,
or in the shower, or while hiking or biking somewhere.
I can sit at my desk and feel like I'm
banging my head against the wall for hours, But then
I get up and go run. I don't listen to music.
I just let my mind go, and I almost can't

(01:55):
stop the ideas from coming. Indeed, I figured out a
lot of the major points for Juliet's School of Possibilities
while I was running around my neighborhood. The key is
creating space in our lives. When we aren't in reactive mode,
our minds are free to wander. Then our brains prove
pretty smart. They wander into some amazing places. So figure

(02:18):
out how you might build in some brain breaks into
your life today. Maybe after you're done listening to this podcast,
you don't listen to anything else in the car. In
the silence, you let your thoughts go where they will.
Or when you find yourself stumped at work, you get
up from your desk and go walk outside. I'd say

(02:38):
don't bring your phone but you might need it to
send notes to yourself about all the great ideas I
promise you're going to get. And here's the thing. Our
brains are creatures of habit, like anything else. If you
go into each bike ride or shower thinking I get
my best ideas here, then your brain will start doing

(02:58):
what it knows to do, and soon you'll find yourself
feeling very innovative, or at least cleaner and in better shape.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(03:19):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
that's b E the number four then Breakfast Pod. You
can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast
at iHeartMedia dot Com that before breakfast is spelled out

(03:42):
with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
to staying in touch