No New Ideas

June 10, 2010 in Fun Stuff, Life with 6 Comments

Do you ever feel like you’re drawing a blank or not able to come up with any new ideas?

Here’s a tip:

Change your daily routine.

Today, I changed my own routine. I noticed I was falling into a trap. I used to have a lot of great ideas in the morning. Sometimes they would come to me in the shower or while I was having my morning coffee. Then the ideas became fewer and farther between.

For the past few weeks, I’ve made a point to pay special attention to my morning routine.

I paid close attention to the small details like, the way I got out of bed. The way I made the bed. The way I walked from one side to the other making the pillows look nice. (brownie points)

I observed and made a mental note of the way I got into the shower. The way I hung my towel over the shower door. The way I opened the door. The process I followed in the shower.

The way I made coffee. How I opened the cupboard and grabbed the coffee bag. The way I filled the coffee machine with water.

It’s a fascinating process! I was able to actually learn from the way I’d been conditioning myself to do certain things. It takes a little bit of trickery to allow yourself to continue with your daily routine, but pay attention and make a note of the process at the same time.

Today I changed my routine. I deliberately did things differently today.

I showered differently.
I rode my bike to the office today.
I listened to a new radio station.
I put a little extra cream in my coffee. Then I drank an extra cup.
I wore some clothes I don’t usually wear.

Riding my bike to the office was probably the biggest mixup so far and it’s only noon. That, in itself,  was a fascinating experience.

During my ride, my brain suddenly kicked into gear. I started paying attention to and observing my surroundings. I became aware of things I’d passed every day on a daily basis without even noticing. I came up with new ideas for future blog posts. Things made me laugh. I ran into a client on my way. Interesting.

Look at your own life and pay attention to your daily routine and, without warning, blatantly switch it up. You might be surprised by the results.

  • http://twitter.com/John_M_Kane John Kane

    Hmm…very interesting.
    I too used this technique Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaany years ago after taking some NLP classes.
    They promoted awareness and we had several exercises and this was one.

    It all really comes down to Paying Attention! :)

    Congrats for making a HUGE step away from “Sheepleness” or is it Sheepledom or Sheople? LOL

    Another cool one is mentally pay more attention to your peripheral vision and make conscious effort to ignore the central vision.
    It is possible, AND quite interesting.
    Any yet one more is change perspectives, like get down to the level a baby would see or get up on a ladder.

    Cover one eye for several minutes and even both which will enhance other sensory awareness like sharper feelings,hearing.

  • Paul

    I find early morning exercise does it for me. Somehow the endorphins hotwire me for the rest of they day. Maybe I should do it more twice a week. You've got a great point here about going outside of those comfort and habit zones.

  • cinderkeys

    The bike ride is pretty amazing, isn't it? Maybe having your body in motion kicks your brain into gear. For me, working on songs while riding is less intimidating. It doesn't matter if I don't write one note, because whether I do or not, at the end of the ride I've reached my destination. I've accomplished at least that goal. :)

  • http://noahfleming.com/ Noah Fleming

    Thank you so much for the comment. You're absolutely right. I'm on day three of riding to the office. Not sure I plan on stopping this new enjoyment… at least, until it becomes routine.. Thanks again for the comment.

  • http://noahfleming.com/ Noah Fleming

    Thanks Paul. I think you should, but you're a pretty in shape guy.

  • http://noahfleming.com/ Noah Fleming

    Thanks John Boy… You've givin me some new ideas to explore. The peripheral vision idea is interesting.