Infinite Ideas Lab #005: 3 Ways to Harness Divergent Thinking

The Infinite Ideas Lab is a weekly newsletter about the creative process and how to have bigger and better ideas.

Ideas are your currency in the modern world. You need them to stand out, but it’s not always easy. Whether you’re building your brand, marketing your business, leading a team, or delivering a project, it’s the power of your ideas that defines you.

And that’s what this newsletter is all about.

Every week I’ll give you frameworks, tips and inspiration to transform your creative ideas process.

Bigger and better ideas in just 3 minutes every Wednesday.

There are 2 modes of creative thinking

Coming up with your next big idea can feel overwhelming can't it?

That may be one of the reasons you signed up to my newsletter! ??

When the pressure's on, you may struggle to know where to start.

But despite that feeling, the creative process can actually be pretty simple.

Because there are really just two elements at play when you’re trying to think creatively.

They’re the yin and the yang of the creative process:

Divergent and convergent thinking

If you’ve never heard of them before then, don’t worry too much about the language.

Just know that all the most valuable ideas come from a process that includes both.

And the good news?is that you're probably using them already when you’re being creative, even if you don't realise it.

The even better news is that you can learn to dial them up or down depending on your need.

This week’s newsletter is all about divergent thinking and how you can harness it to generate bigger and better ideas. Next week I’ll be digging a bit deeper into convergent thinking and how you can use it to turn an abstract idea into something a lot more tangible.

The power of divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is at the heart of all the biggest ideas. It’s the key to the creative process, but what is it?

Essentially it’s the exercise of generating many different ideas in a free-flowing, unstructured manner.

Children do it naturally; anyone who’s had a conversation with a 6-year-old will testify to that!

But as we become adults, our inhibitions and fear of looking foolish get in the way, and that’s what you need to change to unlock the power of divergent thinking.

When thinking divergently, every idea is valid because it leads to the next idea.

No judgement, just exploring as many different alternative thoughts as possible until a truly creative and valuable idea emerges.

Divergent thinking needs 'space'!

In April 1970, the Apollo 13 mission had an oxygen leak on one of the ship’s modules that caused an explosion, severely damaging life support systems. They were more than 200,000 miles from earth!

The three astronauts had no way to filter the air, and it was only divergent thinking that saved them.

If you’ve seen the film, you know that the crew and mission control go through an incredibly tense divergent ideas process until they eventually fix the air filter with duct tape, binder covers, plastic bags and other bits of floating space junk!

Obviously, most of us will never have to get creative in space!

But it shows you the power of divergent thinking...

If it can save Apollo 13 then you can harness it to generate your next big idea.

3 ways to think more divergently

First of all, you may already be a naturally divergent thinker, and it’s worth testing.

You can measure your divergent thinking in a few different ways.

Find a link in the comments to find a free test.

Regardless of what score you get you can 100% learn how to think more divergently by using a few different techniques. Here's 3:

Open monitoring meditation

This form of meditation has been shown to be highly effective at promoting divergent thinking, and it’s really easy to do.

Essentially you find somewhere quiet, close your eyes and spend 10 minutes allowing any thoughts to come up, noting them, and letting your mind do its own thing.

Don’t restrict your attention at all.

After 10 minutes, open your eyes and try a divergent creative task like a rapid-fire 5 minutes of idea generation with no pause.

You’ll definitely notice the difference, and the more you do it, the more difference you’ll feel

Synectics

Synetics?is the act of bringing together two seemingly unrelated things. It's a classic creative thinking exercise that was developed in the 1960s.

Open up any webpage and pick a random noun. Now go to a different page, close your eyes, and put your finger down to find another random word.

Then, try to make as many connections between the two as possible in two minutes. You're not looking for an answer - only possibilities. And doing this repeatedly over time will strengthen your ability to come up with multiple ideas on the fly.

Freewriting

Freewriting is a powerful divergent thinking tool, especially if you haven’t got the luxury of a big team or a brainstorming session.

The idea is that you focus on one particular topic and write non-stop about it for a short period of time.

Write down whatever comes to mind about the topic without stopping. It can help generate a huge number of ideas in a short period of time.

Divergent thinking is the starting point for all creative thinking

That’s why it’s important to master it and learn how you can develop it in your own business or team.

Next week I’ll tell you more about divergent thinking’s slightly more grown-up and responsible sibling - convergent thinking! And how you can bring both together to be an unstoppable creative force.