The Challenge
Try this by yourself or with a group:
- Choose a problem at work that you're feeling stuck on—something you have full control over.
- Think of some really bad ideas to solve this problem. What are your worst ideas? The stinkier, the better. Number them as you go. Push to get to 20.
- When you’re done, circle any ideas that are interesting in some way (even if they’re completely not practical!). Using those as inspiration, write 2-3 ideas that could actually work for your problem.
“Sometimes even hearing a bad idea is a great way to get to a good idea.” - Charlie Day
Why does this work?
Pressure to be perfect can be paralyzing. By deliberately seeking out bad ideas, the stakes are lowered, flooding our brains with dopamine. This neurotransmitter keeps us engaged in the task and encourages us to continue exploring. It gives permission to think in counterintuitive ways, which generates a higher quantity of ideas at a faster pace.
Regroup on Friday!
Research shows that pre-committing drastically increases the likelihood that you'll do it. So write in the comments the specific moment you plan to try this this week. I’m going to do it today when Catherine Price and I talk through ideas for our next Funtervention (all about AI!).
On Friday, we'll compare notes on how it went in our Linkedin Group Funtervention...At Work! Join it if you haven't already!
P.S. Want me to run this exercise for your team? Checkout Funmentum™ Firestorms.