#ThinkfullyHabit: Strip it back
Stuck? Ask yourself ‘Where in the world has my challenge been faced before?’ That’s exactly what Helen Barnett Diserens, the creator of the roll-on deodorant did. Previously, deodorant was only available in a paste form and it was messy to apply. Rather than looking at close-to-home solutions within the cosmetic industry, she was instead inspired by the way that ink flowed from a ballpoint pen and she saw how the process could be applied to any liquid with similar properties.* The roll on deodorant has gone on to become one of the most popular hygiene products in history.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: See Red
How often do we think we’ve understood the whole picture, only to find out our perspective has been one-sided and we’ve missed something? Red Teaming came about during the Cold War as a way of looking from the enemy's perspective. It was used to get people to put themselves in the position of the enemy in order to think through the less obvious and unanticipated scenarios that could then be planned for.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Get on the question quest
Asking questions is a deeply human thing. We are born asking lots of questions. In fact, pre-school children ask an average of 100 questions a day but by the time children are half way through their education asking questions dramatically falls and this trend continues into adulthood.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Speak in riddles
You don't have to be a novelist or poet to make effective use of analogies. An analogy is simply a comparison of two things that show their similarities and takes a familiar idea to help explain a complex or new one.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Get slightly tipsy
Many of you may intuitively agree that the best ideas can often come from time in the pub, rather than time at work. However, before you down the bottle, there is a clear tipping point - we’re talking a small glass of wine rather than several.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Bring your whole thinking to work
The moment we get to work we may be tempted to leave behind our non-work experiences. But there’s considerable value in your wider life experiences that could prove insightful when looking for a fresh response to a work challenge.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Clean your mind
It may sound cliché to talk about getting your best ideas in the shower, but there’s a lot of evidence to suggest it’s a great habit for your mind. Did you know that 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower*.
Stepping away from a difficult problem and creating space for solitude distracts the brain just enough to give it a chance to stop thinking deliberately about your challenge and daydream a little.
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#ThinkfullyHabit: Embrace work-life imbalance
New ideas can come at any time - the week or weekend, day or night, at work or at leisure. Our brains do not make a clear work-life balance distinction in the same way as we might.
Be prepared for helpful ideas to happen at any time. Get into the habit of writing down your ideas in the moment and capture them before they slip away!
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