***UPDATE: much of this content is now available in my book 'A User Guide to the Creative Mind'*** Find out more at: UserGuideToTheCreativeMind.com --- I did this talk for the Ogilvy Idea Shop. It was directed at small businesses, charities and organisations that need a little help with problem solving. This is a special slideshare version with additional text on the slides to explain them better. If you're the copyright holder for any of the images, please get in touch so that I can credit you or remove them.

1. Jolting yourself out of the rut
Tips to get the ideas flowing
Dave Birss

2. Much of this content
and a whole lot more
is now available in
my book.
UserGuideToTheCreativeMind.com

3. Hit the pub
Go somewhere different.
Different environments give you a
different state of mind.

4. Research proves it works.
Cows that listen to soothing
music produce more milk.
The tempo of Baroque music is
similar to the speed of the brain
waves that are associated with
creative thinking.
Give yourself a soundtrack

5. Hit the pub again
If you’re putting pressure on
yourself, a pint or two might help
you relax.
Or maybe some coffee.
It’s worth a try.

6. Write down the problem
If you ask the right
question, you’re
half way to solving
the problem.
Or maybe more.

7. Keep rewriting the problem
Maybe you’re still asking the
wrong question.
Rewriting it in a different way
may help you think about it
differently too.

8. Do something
that requires a
lot of
concentration.
It clears your
mind and
pushes the
problem to
your more
powerful
back brain.
Solve a sudoku instead

9. If you can’t solve the problem as
you, do it as someone else.
Imagine you’re someone extra
smart and try to solve it as them.
What would Stephen Fry do?

10. You may be setting your standards too high.
Deliberately lower them to get the ideas
flowing. You can raise them again later.
Deliberately come up with bad ideas

11. Go read some stuff
Maybe you don’t have enough information.
Do more. The answer may come from a
small insight hidden away.

12. Have a nap
They say that dreams are your
brain’s way of sorting out data.
Have a nap and let it go to work.

13. If there’s a way people
usually try to solve a
problem, think about the
opposite way.
It probably won’t work but
it’ll get you thinking
differently.
Do the opposite

14. Map your thoughts
It’s a great way of seeing that you’re exploring lots
of areas.

15. Finish those Post Its
Don’t settle for the first
idea.
Set yourself a goal and
don’t give up until you
reach it.

16. Hit another pub
Buy someone a drink and
talk to them.
Get their opinion.
Business advice for under a
fiver (with Pork
Scratchings thrown in).

17. Give up
Just for the moment.
If it’s not working right
Give up
**
**
now, don’t push it.
You’ll only push yourself
further into the rut.

18. Now go and
buy the book!
UserGuideToTheCreativeMind.com

19. dave@getadditive.com
@davebirss