Mental blocks are the inevitable appendages to generating good ideas. At some point, we all run into a wall. From thinking of blog post topics to determining an optimal portfolio strategy, it doesn’t matter. You could say it’s part of the routine.
This used to frustrate me a lot. It felt like I was wasting time. So I searched and found Steven Johnson’s book, Where Good Ideas Come From.
The lessons learned proved invaluable. Knowing where good ideas come from is a route to understanding how it’s a process we need to do in sequence. As we develop our mental networks through experiences, particularly failed experiences, we may then start to omit some steps. This is why some people have the illusion of coming up with good ideas in an instant.
Johnson breaks down the keys to generating good ideas.
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Page Contents
The adjacent possible
Johnson compares coming up with good ideas to opening a door that leads to several other doors. We’d be ill-advised to skip doors as it’s a natural process we have to go through.
When my wife and I were thinking of ways to supplement our income, the idea of opening a fast-food restaurant piqued our interest. But the challenge was we didn’t know much about cooking! We dabbled a bit when Master Chef was all the hype, but never really had the knack for it. We knew though that there was an opportunity.
So we researched some more and ultimately landed on the franchise idea. Business had been good, barring COVID, but the idea of a franchise came to us through a process.
Liquid networks
Fluidity is key to coming up with good ideas. Johnson compares fluidity to a liquid state as opposed to gas (chaotic) or sold (no flow). He points to the coffeehouses of London, and others, in the enlightenment era where people of different backgrounds gathered and collaborated to form new ideas. This is in contrast to staying at home (solid) or not having a common place to meet (gas).
COVID has made gatherings a challenge, but liquid networks don’t have to be physical spaces. Social media and apps like Zoom and Skype have become the coffeehouses of late.
The Slow Hunch
Worthwhile ideas usually come in slow hunches rather than eureka moments. It can be argued that aha moments are actually an illusion, with the idea brewing over a long period.
Johnson then suggests we write everything down and reread what we’ve written. I’ve since started journaling. My handwriting isn’t one I’m proud of, so I avoid writing whenever possible. But writing down goals and ideas has advanced my thought process tremendously. Slowing down to write allows the idea to marinate and develop. It’s one of those tips you’ll have to try for yourself to believe.
Serendipity
Good ideas sometimes come to us through chance encounters or serendipitous events — accidental ideas we did not intend to create. But Johnson argues that we have the power to create these chance events. We have the power to create triggers and novel combinations by walking around, taking shower breaks, or even dreaming. Reading also facilitates the creation of potential triggers.
Our brains have the ability to associate triggers with seemingly unrelated matters. And to come up with good ideas, it is our duty to expose ourselves to as many triggers as we can. Bill Gates has what he calls Think Weeks every year, where he isolates himself for a week in a cabin filled with books and papers.
Error
Sometimes, novel combinations come from simple mistakes. The idea of potato chips was a mistake. Microwave ovens were a mistake. Post-it notes. According to legend, even fireworks were a mistake.
Some good ideas are the result of mistakes or errors. But errors are rarely enough. Errors in combination with a slow hunch are typically the ideal combination. As for errors, we want to create some noise or contamination to cultivate ideas. In a noise-free environment, ideas become too predictable and not innovative. The best innovation labs are always a little contaminated.
Being right keeps you in place. Being wrong forces you to explore.
Noise makes us smarter and forces us to be more innovative. We’re forced to rethink our biases. To quote Edwin Land, the inventor or the Polaroid camera, “A mistake is a future benefit, the full value of which is yet to be realized.“
Exaptation
Johnson borrows this term from biology. It is when an organism develops a trait optimized for a specific use, but then the trait gets hijacked for a completely different function. It’s been claimed that this is how wings developed — from attachments used for insulation to attachments used for flying. Social media was developed for social interactions, but it’s since been used by marketers to propel their advertising efforts.
Platform
Platforms that collaborate and stack on each other form an avenue where ideas brew faster. The benefit of platforms lies in the knowledge you no longer need to have – like when you don’t need to know how the Internet works. Or when photos are geotagged automatically without you knowing how it works. Having fewer things to worry about allows you to drive your train of thought further.
Final paragraph
Steven Johnson’s final paragraph summarizes the book perfectly.
“Go for a walk; cultivate hunches; write everything down, but keep your folders messy; embrace serendipity; make generative mistakes; take on multiple hobbies; frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks; follow the links; let others build on your ideas; borrow, recycle, reinvent. Build a tangled bank.”
You may grab a copy of the book, Where Good Ideas Come From on Amazon.
(Book links are affiliate links. You may read my affiliate disclosure on my Terms & Conditions page, #6 Links.)
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