Filed Under: Thinking Out Loud
Have you ever wondered why your best ideas don’t come to you when you’re working, but when you’re out for a jog, talking a walk, in the shower or sitting on the loo? Some of my best ideas have come when I’ve been in bed, ready to go off to sleep.
There is a simple (non-technical) explanation for it - when you’re relaxed, your mind’s free association and creative thinking processes are enhanced. You’re not necessarily a ‘deeper’ thinker, but you’re able to generate new ideas much more easily. The key is to ‘NOT’ be concentrating - putting any sort of stress narrows your field of focus and while it helps build details, it doesn’t bring new ideas.
For some people, regular activities such as exercise or a hobby can help relax their minds. For others, it’s simply a matter of finding alone time, where they can let go of their subconscious stress and allow their mind to think freely. This relationship between ’stress’ and ‘company’ (or being in the presence of others) is quite important for people who are perpetually self-conscious and can never fully relax in front of other.
Saving Your Bright Ideas
Once you get that brilliant insight, chances are that you’ll forget it by the time you get yourself into a situation where you can write it down. The solution is to restrict your free-thinking to 1-2 good ideas and then focusing only on them, going in elaborate detail in your mind.
This post, for example, was thought of and composed in the shower - even though I’m writing it an hour after I got out, the mere fact that I ‘wrote’ it in my mind has kept the thoughts relatively fresh.
You can do with a web design project, with code, with any business or personal problem / solution. The key is to make sure that you develop the idea to such an extent that it stays with you for more than a few fleeting seconds.
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