I’ve found that the out of the box thinkers that I’ve worked with don’t simply take naps and long walks until they get inspiration.
Sure, they have ways to let their mind wander, but that’s not the main ingredient.
Here are three actions that the most “creative” people I’ve worked with all did:
1. Question Everything
They don’t have any assumptions, they question everything down to the very first principles and aren’t afraid to look dumb in the process. This deep curiosity gives them a much better understanding of the problem and all the context than everyone else.
2. Control Content Consumption
They don’t spend all day scrolling through feeds, they’re hyper vigilant about what information they consume. They seek to understand wildly different perspectives on every topic so they can come to their own balanced opinions.
3. Work on Hard Problems
They’re constantly working on something that most people would consider hard. If they aren’t challenged by a problem, they get bored and will find ways to take the project to another level. They aren’t satisfied with just doing enough to get by.