| y"> | | | | prepared to capture them -- voila! |
| Thinking Unconsciously | | | | So -- what are some ways to stimulate unconscious |
| Daydreaming your way to performance and profits. | | | | thinking? |
| Like many of my clients, I am always looking for | | | | We've mentioned a number already. One way to |
| ways to speed things up - to produce more results | | | | stimulate unconscious thinking is to engage in physical |
| with the same or even fewer resources. We | | | | exercise. Jogging, swimming, biking, hiking, |
| probably agree on this. The key is certainly not about | | | | weight-lifting -- all of these activities are great for |
| working harder; it may not even be about working | | | | idea generation. The key is they are all sort of |
| smarter. But there are definitely ideas which work, | | | | mindless - not requiring much detailed thought. This |
| and those ideas need to be uncovered. Often you | | | | may seem paradoxical -- if you are trying to shut |
| can find them through analytical thinking. In my last | | | | down your conscious mind, wouldn't you want to |
| article I discussed this: a process of asking deliberate | | | | distract it with a conscious thought process? No -- it |
| questions, and in a disciplined, even rigorous way, | | | | seems you want to have the opposite effect-- you |
| coming up with answers. Asking and answering, that's | | | | want to lull the conscious questioning thinker to sleep, |
| the analytical thinking process. Do it enough and you | | | | and simple repetitive physical work seems to do that. |
| will likely come up with something useful. | | | | Likewise, playing a rhythm instrument like drums or |
| But there is a whole other process, a "something" | | | | bass, or any sort of rhythmic chanting or dancing, will |
| that goes on in the mind. Many people call it intuition. | | | | produce a similar result. |
| Others call it "gut feel," or "tapping the universal | | | | These activities, along with morning showers, |
| spirit." In contrast to rational, linear left-brain thinking, | | | | afternoon massages, and evening hot tubs, may be |
| it is sometimes called "right-brain" thinking, synthetic, | | | | considered strange in the corporate setting (except |
| or holistic thinking. I'm going to call it unconscious | | | | in California.) Here are some more corporately |
| thinking. What I mean by this cumbersome phrase is | | | | flavored, "structured" ways to generate unconscious |
| that this kind of ideation is based on removing the | | | | thinking. |
| linear, rational, questioning, conscious thinker from the | | | | Mind mapping is an excellent technique for tapping |
| equation, and tapping into the results when they | | | | the unconscious. Tony Buzan, the inventor of mind |
| come. | | | | mapping, has a book called The Mind Map Book which |
| How do you do that? Everybody has their favorite | | | | details this technique. Mind mapping seems to unlock |
| way. Several people, responding to my last article's | | | | certain expressive mechanisms not available by |
| caveat that I was not referring to the thinking that | | | | writing. Drawing representations of your problems |
| goes on in the shower, wrote that their best ideas | | | | and possible solutions, however crudely, also works |
| occur in the shower. For others, unconscious thinking | | | | well. For truly graphically challenged, try collages made |
| occurs while driving their car. Or working out in the | | | | from cutout images. Sometimes just flipping though |
| gym, riding a bike, or jogging. Gardening seems to be | | | | magazines will stimulate ideas. Get a big stack of |
| a hot spot for hot ideas. And sybarites I know | | | | publications -- ones with good pictures -- and start |
| report getting great ideas while being massaged and | | | | flipping. |
| sipping wine in the hot tub. | | | | There are activities which you can do in groups. You |
| Some people put themselves in a trance state via | | | | can play word association games. The game will |
| meditation or actively listening to music. Others go | | | | usually have a context -- the idea you'd like to |
| into a trance watching TV. I get great ideas when | | | | explore. Start with a list of words which relate to |
| I'm at the movies. (Curiously, it doesn't work while | | | | your central idea, and free associate. Speed matters |
| watching a movie on videotape -- I think the level of | | | | in this process, so record these games on audio tape. |
| concentration is too low -- which may be a key to | | | | Another version is to use one of those magnetic |
| the way these processes work. For the car people, it | | | | poetry kits. Give people the kits and let them go to |
| only works while driving -- not as a passenger. The | | | | work. Also, you can mind-map in groups. Or gather a |
| logic behind this is similar.) | | | | bunch of great images on a projector and let your |
| What is this spontaneous generation of unconscious | | | | group play off them. |
| ideas? I must confess that, really, I have no idea. But | | | | I mentioned this in my last article: you can use |
| I do know how to make it happen. Spontaneously. | | | | structured information sources in an unstructured |
| The key is to loosen the grip of consciousness on | | | | way. Use the Oxford English Dictionary (really any |
| the mind, and get the logical, linear, Q&A thinking | | | | dictionary will do, the OED just seems better.) Pick |
| process out of the way. | | | | words at random and establish connections with your |
| Spontaneous generation comes in two basic flavors | | | | central ideas. Or use a Tarot deck, or the Taoist |
| --fortuitous and deliberate, both of them | | | | I-Ching. You used to be able to do this with fortune |
| "unconscious". An example of the fortuitous kind is | | | | cookies but the message quality has gone downhill. |
| what happens when you are driving your car, and an | | | | Pick a passage from your favorite inspirational |
| incredibly useful thought just "comes" to you. If you | | | | literature such as the Bible or Jonathan Livingston |
| are not prepared, you are likely to lose it as quickly | | | | Seagull, and invent a connection to your central idea |
| as it came. On the other hand, if you keep a voice | | | | -- see what new things come up. |
| recorder or notepad handy, you can capture this | | | | Try attending a seminar when you need new ideas. |
| potential gem. Plus, being prepared to capture these | | | | The seminar need not even be on the subject of |
| "fortuitous" intuitive pearls, seems to be a very | | | | concern. Just being in the seminar room, removed |
| important part of having them more often. | | | | from your controlled environment, can cause your |
| An example of the deliberate version is when, upon | | | | conscious mind to let go a little -- just enough for |
| retiring for the evening, you tell yourself (with feeling | | | | spontaneous ideas to creep to the surface and make |
| and conviction) you want to dream the solution to a | | | | themselves available. And for those of you who don't |
| particular problem. If you get lucky (back to | | | | - read some books. On anything. Reading books |
| fortuitous), you will. If you do this repeatedly -- | | | | always stimulates random thinking if you let it. |
| program yourself with a problem -- you will start to | | | | Remember to keep note cards and pens handy. |
| dream solutions regularly. | | | | Bring in outside speakers or consultants to spout off |
| Analytical types may scoff at this "telling yourself" bit. | | | | their ideas. (I know this might seem like a shameless |
| But recent research in cognitive science indicates a | | | | plug.) Or cross-over people from departments who |
| possible model for the mind as a series of | | | | normally don't work together. That always gets the |
| unconnected agents, each with its own limited | | | | juices flowing. Take these mixed-up groups and do |
| function set. Some of these agents may be linked by | | | | any of the above. |
| well-worn pathways. Others, however, have never | | | | Try game playing -- simple things like checkers, go |
| communicated, and as yet have no way to do so. | | | | fish, touch-tackle football, Lego, plastic model building, |
| "Telling yourself" what you want to think about has | | | | even pickup sticks. Even home or office renovation |
| the effect of sending a broadcast signal throughout | | | | work, which is simply another game to play. Try |
| the agent population, which may enlist them in your | | | | something community minded -a neighborhood |
| unconscious thinking process. | | | | cleanup program: lots of sweeping, lawn mowing, and |
| Whether by happenstance or intention, the available | | | | trash pickup. All of these "games" distract the |
| techniques, if you can call taking a shower a | | | | conscious mind. Do a session, gather everyone |
| technique, are interchangeable. The only difference is | | | | together, and ask what ideas came up. They will. |
| whether you set out to generate a specific idea or | | | | Do you get the idea? Do you have any other ideas? |
| whether random ideas comes unbidden. | | | | Here then are your first two assignments. One: Make |
| Two habits will make unconscious thinking work more | | | | a mind map of all the ways you currently do this. |
| effectively for you. First, prepare your environment | | | | Two: Focus your intention on developing some new |
| to capture ideas as they come. I put 3x5 note cards | | | | unconscious processes. Walk around for a few days |
| and pens everywhere -- in my car, my night-table, | | | | with this thought deep in the back of your mind. See |
| the medicine cabinet, next to my favorite reading | | | | what you come up with during the week. |
| chair, my suit pockets, gym bag, even my | | | | The steps are: |
| under-the-seat bike storage pocket -- just about | | | | Identify the area in which you want new ideas. |
| everywhere I am, I can find a note card. Plus, I carry | | | | Create a diversion for your conscious mind. Lull it to |
| a voice recorder in my briefcase. The new one has a | | | | sleep using any of the above methods, or one of |
| digital interface to my computer and transcribes | | | | your own. |
| notes automatically. | | | | Keep handy a way to record your ideas. This is |
| The second habit is to deliberately plant seeds of | | | | critical. Use a pocket recorder or note cards. It's a |
| ideas in my unconscious mind. I regularly "re-mind" | | | | good idea to always carry one or the other. |
| myself of the areas where I could use a creative | | | | Take your unconsciously generated ideas seriously. |
| flash. For instance, if I am working on a book chapter | | | | Pay attention to them: you may not use every idea, |
| or an article, or if I need a new solution for a client's | | | | but at least evaluate it. Your unconscious mind likes |
| business problem, I put that into my mental hopper | | | | that and you'll get more. |
| and let it sit. Often ideas come to me, and if I am | | | | |