As part of my Thanksgiving challenge (see here), I said I’d synthesize three reads. This is the second synthesis.

Earlier this year, I read a book about generating new ideas. I’ve always thought of myself as not an idea person, so this piqued my interest (plus the book is incredibly short). During my reading of A Technique for Producing Ideas then, I had several lightbulb moments. I recently read the book again and am sharing what I learned to reinforce my learning and hopefully help my readers learn something. Here’s what resonated with me:

Main idea: A new idea is nothing more than a combination of old ideas.

Combining old ideas into new combinations relies on the ability to see relationships that exist because of a general principle (e.g., truth). Understanding the general principle that underpins the relationships unlocks the ability to apply it in a new way, leading to a new combination and, ultimately, a new idea.

Understanding how principles and methods underpin creating new ideas was helpful to me:

• Principles: The fundamental truths that don’t change over time. Principles explain the why.
• Methods: The execution or tactics taken to get a specific outcome. Methods explain the how.

Learning any art, including the art of producing ideas, requires learning the principles first and the method second. The book gives a good example. An advertising manager can know the right people, understand ad rates, and write ad copy, but her ads won’t be effective unless she understands why good advertising works. Conversely, an entrepreneur who understands advertising principles and methods but can’t write copy, doesn’t understand ad rates, and doesn’t have relationships in the ad world can hire freelancers to execute his ideas and end up with highly effective ads.

Why is the main idea important?

Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. This notion changed my thinking about how to ideate new solutions to problems. You don’t have to be a creative person or an idea person. You need to figure out what already exists and how to piece it together in a new way. When you put it like that, almost anyone can do it.

Before I get into the steps for producing an idea, it’s helpful to recognize that there are two types of knowledge:

• General knowledge – A broad, surface-level understanding of various subjects
• Specific knowledge – A deep understanding of a particular subject or problem that comes from studying the details and includes a deep understanding of a product, people who use it, and the relationship between the two

So, how do you create new ideas? Here are the stages (the book had five; I added a sixth) and the steps within each stage:

• Stage 0: (my addition): Define the problem you need to solve or the thing you want to do in a new way.
• Stage 1: Gather raw material.
  
  • Step 1: Continuously gather general knowledge. Be curious and always be learning.
  • Step 2: Gather specific knowledge about the thing you care about.
  • Step 3: Synthesize, document, and organize your specific knowledge in one place, forcing yourself to understand it at a deeper level.
• Stage 2: Think about possible new combinations of what you know.
  
  • Step 1: Actively look for new combinations. Think of cooking: carrots can be used in side dishes, stews, salads, cakes, and juices.
  • Step 2: Write down every idea you have, even if it’s half-baked (pun intended)[SL2] . Keep going even if you get tired. Half-baked ideas can lead to the big idea.
  • Step 3: Stop when your mind feels jumbled and there are no clear insights anywhere.
• Stage 3: Take a break.
  
  • Step 1: Do something unrelated that’s enjoyable and stimulates you in a positive way. You’ll be handing the process off to your subconscious mind to work on.
• Stage 4: Eureka—you have an idea!
  
  • Step 1: A new idea will come to you when you least expect it (maybe the classic: in the shower).
  • Step 2: Write down the idea immediately.
• Stage 5: Share your idea with the world.
  
  • Step 1: Share your new ideas with others. Seek feedback and criticism, not confirmation. You’re looking to expose the things you overlooked so you can improve the idea.
  • Step 2: Adjust the idea based on feedback to ensure that it works well in real-world conditions.

This framework is pretty simple. The hardest part is changing your mindset to focus on principles first, methods (tactics) second. Most people like to start with tactics because they can easily replicate what they see others doing. Understanding the principles that allow the tactics to work requires more effort, so many don’t take that extra step.

This book is a quick read. It was published in 1965 so some of the language is dated, but the framework is solid and has proven its worth over many decades.

Synthesizing this book was incredibly helpful. It etched this process for idea generation into my brain and helped me realize that I too can come up with great ideas.