Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques

by Michael Michalko

The majority of us feel an emptiness and incoherence in our lives, which is why we think of ourselves as blanks or squiggles instead of diamonds. We know the diamond-shaped dot was what we wanted to select but, in some way, our sense of self made us feel unworthy, and so we rationalized why we selected the squiggle or the blank. It is the same way in life.

“Anciently the skillful warriors first made themselves invincible and awaited the enemy’s moment of vulnerability.”

Give your mind a workout every day. Set yourself an idea quota for a challenge you are working on, such as five new ideas every day for a week.

Make a list of things you do by habit.

Read how-to books on any subject. Exercise your mind by manipulating the ideas of others into new ideas.

Actively observe popular culture.

Think about how your job has changed.

Attend as many business conferences, seminars, and lectures as you can.

Wander around with an open mind and wait for something to catch your attention.

“Look sharply after your thoughts. They come unlooked for, like a new bird seen in your trees, and, if you turn to your usual task, disappear.”

we are able to keep only about five to nine pieces of information in our mind at a time.

Writing signals your brain that this piece of information is more crucial than others and should be stored in your long-term memory.

Flexibility in thought means the ability to see beyond the ordinary and conventional roles.

Pumping your mind is like making a path through tall grass. Originally there is no path, yet as you walk the same way each time, one appears.

Before you start looking for ideas, you need to know what your goal is. This chapter will help you to identify worthwhile business problems and convert them into specific challenges to be solved using Thinkertoys.

Unless you set your business problems down in writing, your attention is constantly shifting and you become indecisive about what, if anything, you should focus on.

Start keeping a journal of problems that you find to be personally interesting and that would be worthwhile to resolve.

In what ways could you make more money at work?

Ideas sometimes grow out of irritation,

Edison would often state that the only reason he invented was to make a lot of money. He didn’t have the time,

energy, or interest to modify the world to fit his inventions.

A good way to practice this technique is to use a random word on some problem for five minutes every day.

Sometimes searching for ideas is like being a mosquito in a nudist colony. You know what you want to do but don’t know where to begin.

If you expect to find ideas in the thoughts and words of others, you will believe you can, and you will.

the whole. Nonexperts do not have enough expertise to draw borders. As a result, they look everywhere for ideas. This is why breakthrough ideas are usually found by nonexperts.

Seek out idea-oriented people. Surround yourself with people who love ideas and use them in their businesses and lives. They will fire up your imagination. Who is the idea person in the figure on the next page?

The theory behind intuitive techniques is that at some level you already know the answer to your challenge. Once you make this assumption, you need only know how and where to look for it. This is a different perspective from, “Is there a solution?”