5 Creative Techniques to Help You Generate Ideas

Generating ideas is easy...once you know how. Getting into the habit of generating ideas on a regular basis takes a little practice, but like anything else becomes easier the more you do it. That said, let's take a look at five creative techniques for generating ideas.

1. Keep a journal. This is huge. By keeping track of your day-to-day thoughts, you'll become more observant and perceptive of the world around you. As an added bonus, your writing will improve, whether you want it to or not.

2. Build and maintain an idea bank. An idea bank is simply a running list of ideas (good and bad). Ideas tend to strike at inopportune times; an idea bank is great because you can note your idea and go back to what you were working on. After a few months of this, you'll have more ideas than you know what to do with.

3. Seek out inspiration. Our brains are like sponges, absorbing the world around us. By seeking out works that challenge and engage your brain, you will have more ideas.

4. Have lots of ideas... and don't worry about the bad ones. Let's face it, most are pretty bad. But only by having lots of bad ones will you have any good ones. If you can have one good idea for every ten bad ideas, you're doing pretty well.

5. Take walks in nature. Combining exercise and the outdoors allows your brain time to ramble and play. Walking outside reduces stress and boosts oxygen levels in the brain. All these factors combine to make walking a key element in generating ideas.

Remember, you must capture and record your ideas. This becomes easier as you make it a habit, and the more ideas you record and collect, the more you'll have.


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