7 ways to push yourself to think outside the box

You hear this phrase a lot, from workplace chit-chats to earnest discussions with your friends. But what is this box? And how do you think outside of it?

The “box” usually is the traditional way of doing something. The people who think outside of the box challenge long-held beliefs and come up with innovative ways to solve problems. Creativity and innovativeness are often highly admired by employers because the workers who show these qualities create trends.

Is it hard to think outside the box?

You have probably heard your boss throw the phrase around during team meetings. Everywhere in the job market, workers are encouraged to think outside the box. But humans prefer to stay on the well-worn, comfortable routes when venturing into unfamiliar paths. Thinking outside the box involves cutting through the jungle to create your own route, abandoning the long-used, familiar pathways.

This is why most of us hesitate before suggesting an innovative method for doing things. Not only employees, but employers too are also often afraid of business risks. Sometimes, outside-of-the-box solutions are huge risks that can have a significant financial impact on the business. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in our time are people who bravely thought outside of the box.

How does one think outside the box?

When faced with a problem, our number one choice is to turn to the traditional solution. However, before you set your ideas in concrete, you can try these steps to produce fresh alternatives:

1. Get the help of a kid

Did you know that children are natural innovators? Most children are not taught about traditional solutions to problems, so they are amazingly talented at coming up with innovative ideas.

2. Think in simpler terms

Sometimes, a problem is extremely complex because of the way it is worded. If you feel yourself struggling to produce an idea, try to think of the issue more simply. One easy way to do this is to think about how you would explain the problem to a six-year-old. You will be surprised how simple some situations become when you think differently.

3. Start from scratch

You may not be able to make head or tail of a problem by staring at an overcrowded blackboard. Instead, go for a clean slate approach. Ask yourself, “What would I do differently if I were starting from scratch?” It will help you forget about everything that happened before the problem, and all the dead ends that came during the search and look at things with a fresh perspective.

4. Search for the Why

Often, when you try to think of innovative solutions, the biggest thing that pulls you back is the phrase “That's how we've always done it.” When it feels almost impossible to break from tradition, ask yourself, “But why have we always done it that way?” It will help you spot the flaws with the traditional solution and make it easier for you to present a better alternative.

5. Try brain boosters

A little mental gymnastics will easily give your brain a boosting workout. Here are some suggestions from Psychology Today that will help get your brain unstuck:

• Alphabetize letters in words?– Think of any word you want and arrange letters in alphabetical order. So, the word B-O-X will be X-O-B.
• Omit the E’s?– Challenge yourself to say a sentence without the letter E!
• Add a bunch of numbers?– Do some quick mental math by adding a few random numbers in a string. Here’s a fun one you can try now: 3 + 7 + 1 + 5 + 2 + 9

6. Learn something new

Maybe the problem is not with your thinking pattern but with the limited knowledge you have of the subject. Learn a new skill related to your work by enrolling in a class. See how it improves your ability to think outside the box!

7. Dabble in freewriting

Get yourself a pen and paper, pick a topic, set a timer for two minutes, and write as fast as you can without pausing. The timer will give you that extra pressure you need to job your brain into thinking creatively.