Unlock Your Creative Thinking

I love design thinking so I really enjoyed this TED talk by Dr George Land about innovation and creative thinking.

There are two kinds of thinking that occur in the brain that help us think creatively. Divergent and convergent.

• Divergent thinking helps us to think outside the box and explore possibilities. Perfect for brainstorming and generating new ideas.

• Convergent thinking helps us to judge and analyse ideas and information.

Both are important, but we don’t engage in divergent thinking nearly as much as we should.

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

When confronted with problems, we tend to jump straight into looking for solutions, leaving little space for exploring possibilities.

I recognise this in my own life as well. Whether it be family, work or study.

There is power in exploration and reflection, so let’s allow more time for it in our lives.

Make Time For Divergent Thinking

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” - Abraham Lincoln

We often believe that working on the solution is the only way to be productive. I’ve found this to be completely untrue.

Make time for PLAY.

Go for a walk, do some exercise, play music, read a book, meditate, or paint a picture. Don’t do it for any reason other than to have fun. Who cares if the outcome sucks.

Making time for divergent thinking creates an opportunity for you to see things from different perspectives.

All fresh thoughts and ideas are added to your mental database, ready to be accessed during convergent thinking.

What are your thoughts on divergent and convergent thinking?