Why Your Workspace is NOT a Place For -Solo- Brainstorming?
#69: Ideation in the workspace reduces your productivity performance
The best ideas hit your brain when you least expect them.
You’ll never know when the inspiration (to do something) hits you. But I’m sure mostly it appears in the junction of you having a problem in the back of your head and looking out to the world for something else.
Most of the time — it is coincidental. Or it appears to be.
To get the most innovative, unique, quirky ideas come to you when you’re not at your workspace — or completely away from your work (both physically and mentally).
So based on the pre-condition, the best place to generate ideas or to get inspired is not your workspace.
(Please do not confuse the terms Workspace and Workplace. They both are distinctively different even though look similar.)
The workspace is for executing the work.
You must be conditioned to execute your work at your workspace. Not to plan or ideate.
You do your work in your workspace. You continuously stick to this pattern. Then it will feel natural to work even when you don’t feel like working. Because you’re conditioned — your brain is conditioned. Whenever you reach the zone — your workspace; a set of brain cells relevant to your work and workspace starts to fire up — without much effort.
This is called a zone setting. Or I call it that way. You’re the luckiest if you’re conditioned yourself in this way.
How cool if you can summon your brain and command it to work on something even without the slightest effort?
You don’t want to spoil this ‘gift’ of feeling to work the moment you reach your workspace.
Why do you need to switch places for brainstorming
You need an open mind to solve a problem; differently. Albert Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it”. The next reason is similar to that of Einstein.
You can’t come out with an effective (add more gimmicky words like efficient, innovative, unique, out-of-the-box solution, etc., etc...) with the same set of mind and environment. That is, no change in physical and mental state.
Make the most out of the flow of ideas
No wonder that plethora of (good) ideas buds during the most appropriate time of life. Like in the middle of the night — when the eyes are half-shut and your brain machine is running. or taking a loo, or when you’re in the shower, and in some cases; in more worse situation.
The point is, it happens when you’re relaxed. At least when you’re not under the stress of your work — the particular problem is pressing hard on you.
You can’t force your brain to give ideas. Pressure here is counter-productive.
It’s hard to tame your brain to give particular results. The idea is a search for an “unknown” result through an “unknown” path.
New ideas are generated when the neurons (or any crap of chemicals) traverse in the untravelled path of the cell network of your brain.
Too much pressure and too much disarray can cause you’re brain to follow the path of the past. In other words, NO new ideas.
Relax. Move your problems to the back of your head. Then peruse the world with less intention of finding the solution to the problem — embrace the flow of thoughts. (even it if looks completely useless).
Remember. It won’t work for group brainstorming.
Setting a Zone for personal brainstorming
Lean on a couch. For you, it could be something similar to this. Relaxed. This is the place not to look and execute the tasks on your to-do list.
Now use this space/place to consume (media), read, to think, to ponder over something (which even may be completely useless) — do anything other than the serious work for God’s sake.
Repeat it. Make it a pattern. …sets the zone…
With a sufficient amount of repetition, you’ve successfully created a place for your (individual) brainstorming sessions.
I take a small walk to think, and it is a suitable place for streamlined thinking (kind of) to solve a particular problem.
The couch for me is a place to generate random ideas. Also when I was a half-insomaniac at night. Also during hangouts with friends. Also,…
The point is I don’t get these inspirations and ideas (that often) when I am at my workspace.
The additional benefit of it is, for the past few months I haven’t beat around the bush at my workspace during working hours.
I tend to procrastinate less now. Because I know I can’t justify my search for ideas and inspiration as a “work”.
Remember. The workspace is for executing the work. Not for anything else.
This one mantra can make you complete your work in half of the time than usual. And you can have the most wonderful ideas than before; with much little effort.
Ba-bye. See you soon.