When Do You Have Your Best Ideas?

When do your have your best ideas?

 

So let me ask you a question: where do you have your best ideas? We were asked this specific question on the dynamic problem solving, lateral thinking and strategic thinking courses. Well this question made me think about thinking…

 

What was interesting was the responses were quite varied and included:

 

·         In the bath
·         In the shower
·         At the gym
·         When I get up in the morning
·         When I go to bed
·         When I am day dreaming
·         When walking the dog
·         Whilst doing the cleaning
·         Whilst gardening
·         When doing a headstand

Do you notice anything? Hmmmmm? I think it is obvious… Okay I will let you know. No one said ‘yes well actually my best ideas come from sitting at the desk.’ Now I am not suggesting we bathe or shower at the desk or even take the dog for a walk around the office. The point is that sometimes you have to change environment to enable you to shift perspective in your thinking. Most offices have gathering areas, atriums or ‘special areas.’  If not then sometimes simply getting up and moving generates ideas too.  Please no shimmying by the coffee machine.

 

 

 

So why is it so important to consider where our ideas come from? Well many companies encourage innovative thinking and some companies have Innovation awards. Innovation is so important because it is through innovation that companies and business progress.  What we see within our business environment on a daily basis isn’t always obvious to those who are not involved. There will always be challenges and situations to fix, so surely finding an easy way to generate ideas would be useful.

 

So here are some top tips for generating ideas:

·         Change environment.
·         Get a group together. The more diverse the group the more experience can be used to idea generate problem solving ideas.
·         Set the target of ‘ridiculous’ and work backwards. By going to the outer mental limit of ridiculous you can then expand your mental boundaries.
·         Make mind maps and enable tenuous links.
·         Work on the ideal outcome. Imagine being at the perfect outcome and work backwards to the problem.
·         Take a view of the valley. This means that when we are in the problem we can’t see the wood for the trees. Attempt to shift perspectives and look at the ‘valley’ from a removed  and objective perspective.
·         Find people who have completely fresh eyes and ask them to ask questions.
·         The post it race. Set the problem, give out post its and get the ideas down in a fast and furious way. GO!
·         Finally utilise a writing prompt within a group. This is when a group of people write as fast as they can without thinking or analysing. The prompt could be:
·          The best way to solve _______________ is to _________________________.

Allow two minutes to ‘free write.’

After that try the following prompt:

A less obvious way to solve___________ is to________________________

When you have your answers each person can read out the ideas and an idea inventory can be compiled for evaluation.

 

Ruby Allure's latest release on audio:

 

  

LINK TO AUDIBLE FOR LOVE HUNT http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Love-Hunt-Dating-Game-Audiobook/B015G4ICYA/ref=a_search_c4_1_4_srTtl?qid=1442567974&sr=1-4

Come on admit it - as much as we deny it - we ladies like a good love hunt.
We have tick lists, ideals, and we hunt in high-heeled packs. Of course, we're all hunting for that elusive right man who ticks every box and even has tidy nostril hair. Okay maybe not you, but you know other ladies who love the hunt.
Well, it's time for Eva and Gracie to love hunt, and their "targets" are rich men - the golden sperm. Such exciting escapades would provide the pair with entertaining discussions during their dull office hours - or so they thought. What they did not anticipate was the discovery of the "booby man"; humorous but very hard truths about wealth, themselves, power; and the RichIdiot.com phenomenon.
The question remains: can love really be hunted?

TO LISTEN TO SOME SAMPLE CHAPTERS FOR FREE - YES FREE!

 

TO LISTEN - SOUND CLOUD https://soundcloud.com/ruby-allure/lovehunt1-sample

 

CHAPTER 1 On SOUND CLOUD http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Love-Hunt-Dating-Game-Audiobook/B015G4ICYA/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1442774344&sr=1-2

 

CHAPTER 2 ON SOUND CLOUD https://soundcloud.com/ruby-allure/02-lovehunt1-ch02

CHAPTER 3 ON SOUND CLOUD https://soundcloud.com/ruby-allure/03-lovehunt1-ch03


PAPERBACK LINKLink: http://amzn.com/151727088X

 

Be Dynamic at Problem Solving

Be A Little Dynamic in Your Problem Solving...

 

 

There are challenges and there are problems, both require a flexibility of thought to solve them. If we continue to think the same way then we end up with the same results and nothing progresses.  Last week I had the opportunity to take part in a Dynamic Problem Solving Course. A room filled with corporate employees were poised to find new ways to solve problems. If the old ways have not worked then surely the new ways would be welcome. So there we are all expecting the solution to solutionising  and the first thing we are asked to consider is how we bake a cake. Bake a cake? What is the process we use? Some would get a recipe from the internet or cookbook and follow instructions. Others were a little more spontaneous and glanced at what was in the cupboards and combined ingredients they had available. What was revealed was how most people got on with the process rather than define the type of cake. Who was the cake’s audience? Was the desired outcome a wedding cake, a Christmas cake or a birthday cake? Essentially this little exercise provided an insight into how we approach the ‘problem of baking a cake’.  Yet we had not defined the type of cake or who for. Such a simple exercise can reveal how we approach problem solving.

 

 

When you bring a group together the first step is to define the actual problem. We can’t assume that we all have the same perception of the problem. Once the problem has been defined then we need to work out the intended outcome and who the audience is, if there is an audience. It is then things become creative – yes creative. Before you say ‘I am not creative,’ this is where you are wrong. Simply by placing ingredients in a sandwich is an act of creation – you created a sandwich. The fact that you select a set of clothes to wear in the morning is also an act of creation. So you may well have dormant creativity desperately desiring to explode into the problem solving arena.  With this in mind, there are two types of thinking – traditional thinking, solving problems through reasoning that is already known and Lateral thinking, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and generating ideas that may not have been considered using traditional step logic. One of the main barriers to being creative is fear – how do you overcome it? Look at the barriers and ask what it is you fear about being creative.

 

Once you are ready for your creative problem solving escapades there are numerous techniques you can use:

 

·         ‘What if-ing’ – asking what if…. Numerous times and considering the repercussions

·         Write down numerous ideas of how to solve the problem and resolve the issue not using the obvious answer.

·         Thinking counter intuitively – this is going against the obvious to find the solution.

·         Make a mind map of all potentials.

·         Use the SCAMPER model –S=Substitute, C=Combine, A=Adapt, M=Magnify, P=Put to          Other Use, E=Eliminate or Minimize and R=Rearrange. 

·         The 5 Why’s technique

·         Pareto Analysis (80/20 rule)

·         Cause and effect diagram / Fishbone diagram

·         Cost Benefit analysis

·         Grid analysis

·         Force field analysis

·         SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

 

 

The details of the above can be looked up on Google.

Once you have the concepts if is time to think critically and assess the potential solutions. This too has a potential process:

 

·         Stop and think – be insightful

·         Recognise your Assumption – be inquisitive, truth –seeking and open minded.

·         Evaluate the information – systemically and analytically

·         Draw conclusions – systematic, analytical and insightful

·         Create a plan of action – this will be timely and analytical

 

Once you have a plan then does someone need to make a decision?

The Classic Decision Making Process includes:

·         Define Objectives

·         Collect Relevant Information

·         Generate Feasible Options

·         Make THE decision

·         Implement and Evaluate

 

 

 

Another Technique is called The RAPID Decision Making Model:

 

·         Recommendation

·         Agreement

·         Perform

·         Input

·         Decision

With all the above in mind, there is so much more that one can learn on the Dynamic Problem Solving course and I can highly recommend it. You might find your process for baking a cake may well completely change!

 

 

 

Ruby Allure Books created to inspire you:)

 

LINKS TO AMAZON.COM:

 

New in Paperback:  http://amzn.com/151230526X

 

 

 

 

LABYRINTHINE AMAZON.COM LINK: Link: http://amzn.com/B012FAYI5U

 

 

:

AUDIBLE LINK FOR A SHORT COURSE IN CREATIVE WRITING: http://amzn.com/B01390THLK

 

21/08/15

 

"An Unexpected Gem"

***I was provided a copy of this audio book for the purpose of a review ***

With the required disclaimer out of the way, let me be brutally honest, I had not expected this little gem. In fact, I had expected my listening would be a bit rough and was fortified by it being less than 2 hours.

The synopsis says the author wrote the book as a takeaway from her evening classes on creative writing. My mental context was ... Community Ed evening classes ...and expected a well intended but kind of amateur product. However, I am interested in adult education, and batter my own nerd head against a giant personal creativity brick wall.

So you have an idea of my mind set... low expectations along with high interest.

Amateur hour it was NOT.

I don't know where the author teaches her class, but Sign Me Up! And bring the narrator. Wow. Two hours of unadulterated, straight up, right on, good learning material delivered by a close friend just sharing the material. The narrator's voice was warm, sincere without any artifact or pompous patronising, and well modulated throughout. The material was mind opening for me, with the right mix of the mechanics of writing exercises, sufficient context that using prompts now makes sense to me, and a sprinkling of the inner heart work of creativity through written material.

This was just what I didn't dare hope for in a how to creative writing listen.

Truly an unexpected gem and a learning and growing experience for me.

A keeper and one I will return to many times as I deconstruct my own wall, one block at a time.

Thank You, Ruby and Thank You, Erin.

 

TO BUY MONEY FARM ON AMAZON.com http://amzn.com/B010F04W9O

· Frode

06/08/15

5 STAR

"M.O.N.E.Y. is bad? This book is not!"

So Money Farm by Ruby Allure was a surprise! When I REALLY did not read things about this book I review for Audiobook Blast, I sometimes get books I don't know something about. BTW: I read 99% about the books I want to review, but this book I can't remember I did that for. Anyways: This was a nice surprise, and I think it is one of those books that is better the second time you read it. No joke! I listen to this twice before I made this! Money Farm makes you thin, and who does not like to hear a book that makes you think? It is an awesome book, that I will recommend to all that likes audiobooks, and really to people that does not!

Helen Lloyd English accent its the topic like a glow and a hand! Her "lady like" voice is so cold, and clear I feel that the author made this book thinking that Helen Lloyd would read it out loud! That is how I feel those two fits together! The 2 times 14 hrs and 6 mins I spend with her never feels boring or uninteresting! I would love to spend it again, and I will because this book I will hear again, and again, even when it is 14 hrs and 6 mins long! That is saying something!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

Link: http://amzn.com/151230526X

MONEY FARM

· "Incredibly thought provoking..."

What did you like most about Money Farm?

It was an eye opener.

 

What did you like best about this story?

I like the way it made you think about the way normal everyday life is here and now, and the future...

 

Have you listened to any of Helen Lloyd’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Helen Lloyd narrated this fairly long audiobook brilliantly. Although the story content was very intense and thought provoking, her lovely smooth voice was very easy to listen to and I thought it was just perfect, a fascinating book wonderfully narrated.

 

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was, although it is too long to do so.

 

Excuse-fluenza - the success saboteur

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y65FWU

 

Progress and the issue of Excuse-fluenza.

How many people tell you what they would ‘love’ to do or ‘wish’ they could do and then quickly say but I can’t because…. Pay attention to this because the truth is we all do it. We have beautiful dreams that we quickly sabotage because we have a mental sneeze which covers our dream in our doubtful slime. This common mental ailment is Excuse-fluenza – it is the contagious mental disease of positive thought and the mental flu of progress. Now, before we go any further, I want to mention that this approach is not about ignoring reality and realistic situations. It is more about how we sabotage ourselves before we start. You may decide to be an astronaut and everyone will think you are a ‘space cadet’ and tell you why you can’t but you could experience being and astronaut by experiencing weightlessness in a simulation machine. The point is there are other ways of doing things and the dream can be landed in reality if you are open to alternatives. When I was in my early twenties I decided that I wanted to go around the world. I had no money to fund it and everyone told me that I had to work and save to do this trip. Well, that was one way, the classic way, but me being me was not going to be told no. I wrote down a list of all the places I dreamt of going and collected the pictures. A few years later I was offered a job as a photographer on an exclusive cruise ship that circumnavigated the globe. During my time on ships I circumnavigated the world eight times and went to Antarctica twice. I am glad that I did not listen to the voices of doubt. If anything I heard them and thought f* you – I WILL FIND A WAY!

While working on the ships I had the privilege to meet some very successful people. They all had a ‘can do’ attitude and certainly didn’t make excuses. Instead they looked for challenges and ways to succeed. One of my favourite moments was in Antarctica when I was stood on the bow of a ship with two very well know mountaineers who were studying various mountains and passes. These mountains had never been conquered and they were discussing the best way to ascend them. I asked them how they dealt with people who ‘told them they couldn’t’. They said they viewed them sympathetically because they realised they were telling them why ‘they’ couldn’t and that ultimately such attitudes led people to lead mediocre lives with no adventure. That was an insight for me because there are always doubters, there are always those who are jealous and in truth that is them – not you. Transform their doubt into fuel and use it to drive you to succeed!!! Hurrah!!!!

So the issue of success and the mental sneeze… Can we all be successful? I believe the answer is yes. According to all the negative messaging we receive – the answer is no. Well actually if we consider how we all define success then we can shift that perception. Success does not mean we all have to be celebrities or millionaires. Instead success is as wonderful as being a loving mother and nurturing a family. To another it might simply be becoming good at dancing. There are different levels of success and quite often the ideals we are fed destroy the success we are experiencing on a daily basis. I think one of the most under-valued successes is being a good friend. Instead we all chase financial ideals, being a celebrity or object ideals to demonstrate our success. Success can be in the person and who the person is. What is the point of achieving being a millionaire and being a selfish git? Financial success with a personality of an arse? Oh well done!!! Clap, clap! Although that individual may well be a huge success at being an arse!

So before going any further, if you wish to work on your success, write a vision of what success is for you? Is it paying off your mortgage? Becoming a world champion water-skier? Going for a jaunt around the world? Or becoming the best friend, mother, confident… When you know what it is that you want to achieve – write down all you mentally snotty reasons why you can’t. Apply the Excuse-fluenza and get it out of your system! Now it is time to realise that is your inner doubter. Next to each negative write two reasons why you can. That is your inner motivator. Now consider the classic ways to achieve it and now consider the alternatives… There are always ways and means, sometimes you simply have to be open to alternatives… 

In the meantime, look at your excuses and ask yourself why you are stopping yourself.

I can’t do it because…

I can’t do it because I am too old, too fat, too tired, there is not enough time, I don’t have the money.

Now look at the people who are doing what you desire. I heard someone say they couldn’t start yoga because they were too old. I then mentioned that I had a 90 year old yoga teacher who started yoga in their sixties. The response was – but that is not the same. Actually it is! There are people doing the things you want to achieve who had the same issues. In terms of time – know this: we all have exactly the same hours in the day. Can you swap watching television to focusing on generating success?

As I said, this disease of Excuse-fluenza is an accepted state. We all buy into each other’s mental sneezes and infect each other. The only way you can cure it is by noticing the self-sabotaging thoughts and shifting your mental habits. Use that sneeze a momentum to achieve your success. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y600X4

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H7MRV5G