How to generate new ideas when you’re stuck in a rut

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Coming up with new ideas on a daily basis can be a huge task, especially if your career relies on it. After all, everything starts with an idea which is why we push ourselves to make that lightbulb appear over our heads. But sometimes, we find ourselves stuck in a creative block that undeniably causes a lot of frustration. If you’re tired of waiting for your breakthrough moment or simply do not have the luxury for inspiration to strike you, then learn how to generate new ideas with this one simple trick.  

The world around us is driven by new ideas. The books we read, the technology we use, the food we eat, everything finds its origins in an idea which ultimately manifested the activity. We learn how to generate new ideas in order to fuel changes for this dynamic world. It was French poet Victor Hugo, who eloquently emphasised the importance of ideas with his popular quote, “No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come”. 

Ideas are abstract creations of tangible objects within the human mind, amplifying the power it holds. However, good ideas take time, and the funny part is that such thoughts strike you when you least expect them to. Talking about how to generate new ideas, Chris Bailey, the author of the book Hyperfocus, asked his readers to think back to when their most brilliant insight struck them. Chances are that you aren’t focussed on anything when you have that breakthrough moment. 

Bailey concluded by saying that one should create idle moments in life in order to learn how to generate new ideas. He believes that being idle pushes the brain to wander without any restrictions, by going into a default mode which he coined as “scatterfocus”. Read further to understand the power of your ideas, why you can produce them by simply being idle, and how you should let your mind wander off. 

The power of new ideas

In order to learn how to generate new ideas on the go, you need to first understand the power your ideas hold. One of the most prominent tech geniuses, Steve Jobs, talked about the success of Apple by saying, “You have to run (your company) by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have to win.” The industrial designer credited his remarkable journey to constantly generating new ideas in a creative manner. 

Ideas are an important resource when it comes to success. Understand the value your thoughts have, only then can you learn to internalise the method of how to generate new ideas. Your idea is like a seed which needs to be fostered. If you are in search of that seed for yourself, then according to Chris Bailey, you need to practice purposeful idleness. 

Inspiration strikes when you’re idle

As a productivity expert, author Chris Bailey did extensive research to learn how to generate new ideas. His solution to a creative block was quite unconventional; be idle. Bailey does not encourage you to be lazy and show reluctance to your work. Rather he emphasises on being idle and inactive in order to stop your brain from being overstimulated. 

For the Canadian writer, the state of purposeful idleness allows the brain to wander off into new perspectives and dig out new ideas. Bailey’s secret on how to generate new ideas lies in the mantra of working less to achieve more. For him, new ideas don’t strike us while we’re working, they come up when we aren’t focused. Speaking from his own experience, the author said that some of his best ideas came when he was having coffee or was knitting. 

The problem is not that we get distracted, but that our brain gets overstimulated and stressed out, leaving no space for our mind to wander. Hence, the solution for how to generate new ideas is by simply staying idle and wandering off. Do not burnout in the search for a new idea.

Allow your mind to wander and scatterfocus

There’s a reason why some of your best ideas come to you when you’re in the shower. It’s because your mind isn’t overstimulated. Your thoughts are wandering off into different directions. Bailey labelled this phenomenon of the mind wandering off as “scatterfocus”. According to the author, the state of inactivity or idleness allows you to scatterfocus, which is the key behind how to generate new ideas. 

In order to encourage your mind to scatterfocus, simply take a break. Achieve that state of alert idleness by doing simple things like taking a walk, driving, listening to music, or a hobby like gardening. Bailey continued on the importance of scatterfocus by saying that it subconsciously pushes us to think about our goals, as the mind is relaxed and not overstimulated. After all, you won’t be able to generate new ideas if your brain is stressed out, so give yourself the liberty of being idle without any guilt. 

The misconception is that staying idle is unproductive. But in order to learn how to generate new ideas, we need to practice the activity of inactivity, and wander off. So give your brain the rest it needs, lose yourself in thoughts, and come up with that breakthrough moment!

If you found this article interesting, then check out the following articles:

1. How to stay focused when you have too many ideas!
2. Want to be productive in 2020? Try these goal-setting journals
3. 5 sure-shot steps to improve your Critical Thinking!