4 Keys to Creative Problem Solving

We often hear about the importance of creative problem solving – coming up with creative and innovative solutions to challenges large and small. But how does one do this? How do we think creatively and summon forth ideas that can transform challenges into opportunities? Hear are four thoughts:

Dream Big

Don’t limit your ideas or goals because they are too big.  Start big – you can always refine them into smaller steps or pieces if needed. Creative thinking and problem solving requires us to think big.

Pay Attention to Stuff

Pay attention to creative ideas all around you. Pay attention to your friends, colleagues, family, the grocery store, the new bike-sharing program in town, everything.  The spark for a great idea might come from where you least expect it.

Don’t be Restricted by What is Possible

Channel your inner five year old. Don’t judge your ideas based on what you perceive as possible, or reasonable.  Try to let go of those constraints.  Many great ideas started as silly, impractical ones.

Envision the End

Picture the solution – the end. Don’t worry about how to get there. Start with the end, and if you are happy with that, then figure out the steps (going backwards from the end) needed to make it happen.