Efnisyfirlit

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction: Choosing Creativity
• Step One ASK: How the Right Questions Lead to the Most Novel Answers
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Asking: Find the Question
• Try Ten Questions
• Find the Bug
• Reinterpret
• Rise to the Occasion
• The Second Practice of Asking: Search the Space
• Break It Down
• Draw a Fishbone
• Map Your Idea
• Challenge Your Assumptions
• The Third Practice of Asking: Transform the Problem
• Reverse
• Go Back from the Future (BFF)
• Pick the Worst Idea
• Stretch and Squeeze
• Onward . .
• Step Two LEARN: How to Prepare Your Mind for Constant Creativity
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Learning: Practice Deliberately
• Challenge Yourself
• Focus on Specific Tasks
• Reflect
• The Second Practice of Learning: Master Your Domain
• Get Schooled
• Go for Deeper Understanding
• Apply What You Know to New Situations
• The Third Practice of Learning: Learn Forever
• Seek Knowledge Relentlessly
• Customize Knowledge
• Read a Book
• Stay Current
• Recruit a Mentor
• The Fourth Practice of Learning: Balance Specialty with Generality
• Be T-Shaped
• Branch Out
• Be a Dilettante
• Pair Up with an Expert
• Onward . . .
• Step Three LOOK: How to Be Aware of the Answers All Around You
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Looking: Use Fresh Eyes
• Become More Aware
• Make Your Own Luck
• Look for New Patterns
• Cultivate Your Senses
• Practice Ethnography
• Look for Serendipity
• Spot the Spandrels
• Switch Perspectives
• The Second Practice of Looking: Grab New Sights and Cool Sounds
• Start Tripping
• Relax and Listen
• Play with Children’s Toys
• Shape Your Day
• Remember to Look at Bad Examples
• Flip Through Strange Magazines
• Absorb New Media
• Go Walkabout
• Travel
• The Third Practice of Looking: Render It Visible
• Keep an Idea Log
• Start an Idea Box
• Set a Google Alert
• Create a Personal Hall of Fame
• Appoint a Personal Board of Directors
• Onward . . .
• Step Four PLAY: How to Free Your Mind to Imagine Possible Worlds
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Playing: Visualize
• Imagine Parallel Worlds
• Come Up with Fantastic Explanations
• Envision What’s Below
• Follow the Long Arrow
• Explore the Future
• Visualize Your Space
• The Second Practice of Playing: Relax
• Incubate
• Leave Something Undone
• Still Your Mind
• Listen
• The Third Practice of Playing: Find the Right Box
• Be Specific
• Draw the Right Box
• Create a New Box
• Use Every Box
• The Fourth Practice of Playing: Be a Beginner
• Do Something for the First Time
• Start a New Hobby
• Plan on Fun
• Onward . . .
• Step Five THINK: How to Have Way More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Need
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Thinking: Ideate
• Think Different
• Try Toppling
• The Second Practice of Thinking: Transform
• Scamper
• List Attributes
• Reverse Again
• The Third Practice of Thinking: Schedule
• Set an Idea Time
• Set an Idea Quota
• Onward . . .
• Step Six FUSE: How to Combine Ideas in Surprising New Ways
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Fusing: Force-Fuse
• Make Remote Associations
• Combine Concepts
• Cook on All Burners
• The Second Practice of Fusing: Make Analogies
• Use Direct Analogy
• Mimic Nature
• Use Personal Analogy
• The Third Practice of Fusing: Do a People Mash-Up
• Talk to Someone Different
• Crash a Meeting
• Work in the Intersection
• Onward . . .
• Step Seven CHOOSE: How to Pick the Best Ideas and Then Make Them Even Better
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Choosing: Know What You’re Looking For
• Train Your Intuition
• Color Your Choices
• Go for Simple, Elegant, Robust
• Check Your Ideas
• Define Greatness
• The Second Practice of Choosing: Host an Idea Competition
• Look for Differences
• Map the Grid
• Draw an Affinity Diagram
• The Third Practice of Choosing: Look Past the Good
• Consider Pros and Cons
• Find the Worst-Case Scenario
• The Fourth Practice of Choosing: Edit, Revise, Improve
• Identify Three Benefits
• Fix the Fatal Flaw
• Be the Devil’s Advocate
• Reformulate, Reuse, Reperceive
• Onward . . .
• Step Eight MAKE: How Getting Your Ideas Out into the World Drives Creativity Forward
• The Practices
• The First Practice of Making: Draw It
• Draw a Picture
• Collaborate
• The Second Practice of Making: See It
• Take Photos
• Gather Photos
• Make a Collage
• The Third Practice of Making: Build It
• Try Quick and Dirty
• Construct It
• Visit a Craft Store
• The Fourth Practice of Making: Make It Concrete
• Chart the Flow
• Map the Journey
• Sing It
• Act It Out
• The Fifth Practice of Making: Reflect on It
• Be a Pack Rat
• Figure Out Origins
• Show and Tell
• How Do You Know When to Stop?
• Conclusion
• Learn to Choose the Right Step
• When to Focus on Asking
• When to Focus on Learning
• When to Focus on Looking
• When to Focus on Playing
• When to Focus on Thinking
• When to Focus on Fusing
• When to Focus on Choosing
• When to Focus on Making
• Discover Your Own Style
• Always Onward!
• Appendix A: Outline of All of the Steps, Practices, and Techniques
• Appendix B: The Research Behind the Eight Steps
• References
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Index