Find Creative Inspiration With This One-Minute Future Thinking Exercise
If you’re feeling stuck in a creative rut, your imagination can help. This exercise will help you refocus and it only takes 60 seconds.
Whether you’re solving a problem or just looking for new ideas, you need the creative part of your brain to work at full capacity. John Kunios and Mark Beeman, authors of The Eureka Factor , recommend boosting your creativity with this distant-future thinking exercise:
Imagine winning a trip to Tokyo tomorrow or a year from now. In the first scenario, you probably have an idea of how to get to the airport and collect tickets, whereas in the second scenario, you evoke the scent of cherry blossoms or the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo. The second set of images is much more creative and associative, because thinking about the more distant future allows for more possibilities and less analysis. Take a minute to let your thoughts dive into the future and you will be amazed at what you get.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be a trip to Tokyo. It can be anything, as long as it excites you and encourages detailed, dream-like thoughts. The further you go, the better. Once your creative muscles are warmed up, it will be much easier for you to find inspiration.
The Eureka Factor: Moments, Creative Understanding, and the Brain | Amazon via Blinkist