How to Turn on the Idea Faucet: Part 2

In my previous article about ideas I said that the biggest single factor in coming up with groundbreaking ideas is to generate lots and lots of them. Michael Shermer, writing in Scientific American recently, said: “Creative geniuses generate a massive variety of ideas from which they select only those most likely to survive and reproduce.” Shermer quotes Dean Keith Simonton, author of Origins of Genius (Oxford University Press, 1999), who wrote that studies have repeatedly shown the best predictor for recognition and success in any creative field is “the sheer number of influential products an individual has given the world”.

By that standard Thomas Edison was truly a genius, because he held 1,093 U.S. patents for his inventions. Edison often said, however, that he tried out hundreds or even thousands of ideas when he was working on an invention.

In my last article I said the best way to get lots of ideas is to record them when you get them. Many creative people keep a notebook, a pen, and a flashlight next to their bed, so that they can write down ideas when they wake up in the morning, or even during the middle of the night if an idea comes to them in a dream. Some people get ideas in the shower, and they keep a notebook in the bathroom, or even a set of children’s bathtub crayons so they can write ideas on the shower wall.

You can carry a tape recorder around with you, or a notebook, or a device like a Blackberry for making notes. Another method I’ve recently discovered involves using a service like Jott to record your ideas. Jott and services like it allow you to send text or e-mail messages to yourself with your cell phone. You just dial in to a number, record your message, and it will be sent to you as a text or e-mail message.

Another service, called Kwiry, lets you send text messages as e-mails to your computer. You can use it to record ideas on the fly, and then review them later.

Whatever method you use, it’s important to record your ideas. Your subconscious will give you more ideas only if you pay attention to it. If you have great ideas but don’t jot them down somewhere, pretty soon the flow of ideas will stop.

As I said before, don’t worry about the quality of your ideas. You don’t want to judge ideas too early, because it will inhibit the flow. Just keep churning them out, and sift through them later. The more ideas you generate, the better chance you have of coming up with something truly groundbreaking.

Welcome all your ideas, and make note of them. It’s the best way to become another Thomas Edison!