What is the last great idea you had? Did you write it down? Or did you let it slip away like so many other great ideas that come in and out of your mind?
Ideas have the potential to change the world, and if you look around, the world is full of great ideas that, through hard work, have become a reality. The simple act of coming up with ideas is the first step to cause positive change in the world, yet many never consider the mental and emotional process of coming up with ideas.
Ideation, like working out or studying, is a practice that can be improved, allowing an individual to become better at the habit of having ideas. While it’s often debated whether creativity is a trait you are born with, develop, or a mix of both, the act of creating is different. Creation is an action, and through trial and error, you can become a more experienced creator.
Since January 1st, 2016, I have come up with 10 original ideas every single day, recording them in an idea log along the way. At 10 ideas per day, I have come up with over 15,000 ideas over the years, testing the challenge of author James Altucher, from whom I adopted the concept of regularly coming up with ideas as an exercise. Just as he was crazy, so I decided to be.
Even though creating 15,000 unique ideas sounds like a lot, I don’t worry too much about coming up with the perfect ideas. Believe me, some of my ideas should not see the light of day, even though staying up until sunrise is what it took to come up with some of them. The process is not to come up with golden ideas, but rather to mine through both good and bad ideas to find the few golden ones.
You may ask, what is it like to come up with so many ideas? Well, after day one, you may find that coming up with ten ideas within 24 hours is an easy practice, but stick with it a while, and you will face the reality that creativity is a process full of successes and failures.
Some days I can create all ten ideas in a matter of minutes. Other days I find myself awake at 3 AM, forcing myself to not fall asleep until the exercise is complete. At times I have wondered if I should ever take a break from forcing myself to be creative, but ultimately, I always seem to decide that I cannot. My life has been dramatically changed by these practices. I am simultaneously afraid of the loss of stopping and hopeful that the decision to persist will continue to positively affect my life.
Ideation has had a part in every single day of my life for the last 1,600 days and counting. Regularly coming up with 10 ideas per day has significantly improved my communication, organization, observation, creativity, intelligence, commitment, confidence, and work ethic.
With this practice being a unique one, not much data has been gathered on the effects, other than my personal experiences. I would argue that the results would probably be different for anyone who tries it. Rather than attempting to prove how ideation will change your life, I challenge you to try it for yourself and observe the results.
Maybe you want to improve your skills in communication, creativity, or other professional traits. Maybe you already see yourself as someone full of ideas but are unsure how to use them productively.
A simple disruption of your current habits will provide your mind with the space to develop in brand new ways. You just need to take the first step, and 10 ideas a day could be that first step!
My format has been 10 ideas per day, but if you want, you can start with just five ideas, or even three. Whatever it takes for you to commit is the important part. Just as a new body builder does not start out with 1,000 pushups a day, neither should you commit to 3,000+ ideas in a year. Find a goal that you know you can achieve, achieve it, and see where it takes you.
Be willing to be spontaneous and think outside the box. This exercise will expand your character if you have the openness to allow it. Before long you will see the world differently because you yourself will be different.
What ideas will you come up with? Here is a list of example ideas I came up with today! Hopefully this mix of different types of ideas, perhaps both good and bad, will inspire you to get started!:
- Book about a war of love where nations attempt to outdo each other in kindness rather than attack each other.
- Papier-mâché craft made with paper currency instead of plain paper.
- Movie that explores what the world would look like if one day everyone woke up with a different career than the day before.
- Treasure chest with GPS tracking so that it can be located no matter where it is buried.
- Annual conference that features one random citizen from every country in an effort to broaden global perspective and understanding.
- Sleep app that gives children redeemable points for hours slept, thus allowing parents to further incentivize their children into healthy habits.
- Virtual gym app that allows individuals to virtually connect with one another in order to work out together.
- Lottery program that allows customers to buy tickets for the chance to meet a specific celebrity featured on each ticket.
- Nonprofit organization that sends out individuals on short term trips to commit random acts of kindness in everyday life.
- Charity that repurposes unwanted furniture to create beds for those in need.
Opinions expressed are those of the writer.