How to Get a Great Idea

How to Get a Great Idea

When you’ve run out of great ideas, try these things. They seem to work for me. Maybe they’ll work for you too.

I like to get bored. Getting bored is quite difficult, and it usually happens by accident. The best way to get bored is to hurl your phone across the room and forget that it exists.

I like to try walking. Take a different route than your usual one; you might find something new. Walk a little, and then walk some more. Find a thread and pull—if it seems loose, keep going. It might lead you somewhere new.

I like to go to museums and look at the paintings. I like to go to the same ones over and over again. The paintings look the same, but they aren’t. They’re different. I’m different.

I like to read. I read constantly. I have to; it’s a compulsion. It’s where all the stories are. An idea without a story is worthless. Maybe you’ve got an idea, and maybe by reading something, you’ll find the story.

Don’t panic*. Panic is a mind-killer. You can’t be creative when you’re panicked; you’re just going to write something bad—or worse, something that’s just okay. We don’t need more mediocre ideas, we need your best stuff.

Lastly, be patient. Time is a friend. We don’t have an infinite amount, but we’ve got more than we think. Log a few hours on the thing you’re chewing on and see how it feels. If it feels good, keep going. If not, give it a break. Have a good night’s sleep. Maybe you’ll find a great idea tomorrow.

Put in the work, and hang in there—even when you don’t feel like it. Even when you’re terrified. Run as fast as you can toward the places that interest you and see what kind of treasure you can find. It just might give you a great idea.

TC

*What I mean by "panic" is don’t worry about it if you’ve got nothing. Focus on trying one of the things above, and I bet you’ll find something.