How to Think Outside the Box

Change your environment. It’s important to step away from rigid routines to foster creativity. Breaking free from old habits is a common theme among successful and creative thinkers. This might mean developing your own unique sequence or simply finding a way to make changes.

• Take a shower. Oddly enough, showering can be beneficial for this, as many people come up with brilliant ideas while under the showerhead (only to forget them once they reach for paper and pen). If you’re stuck in your thoughts, hop into the shower with paper and pen and see what happens next.
• Go for a walk. Like showering, walking seems to nourish creativity. Whether it's the warm-up for a creative project or part of it, walking can stir up creative inspiration. Steve Jobs famously held walking meetings to spark ideas. Tchaikovsky often took walks around the village before creating his final works.
• Create psychological distance from your daily routine and make time for creativity. Author Toni Morrison used to watch the sunrise every morning before she started writing. She felt that this practice helped her enter her creative world.

Brainstorm. With thousands of ideas emerging, especially unusual and slightly crazy ones, you can select a few truly good ideas. Brainstorming frees up your thought process, preventing you from getting stuck in outdated thinking patterns.

• During brainstorming, don’t worry about feasibility. Don’t limit yourself during this phase. This is the time to embrace all ideas, no matter how silly or unrealistic they seem. If you start restricting yourself in this stage of the thought process, you won't get very far.
• In this phase, avoid telling yourself phrases that shut down creativity. Stop yourself every time you think, “This won’t work,” “We’ve never done it this way,” “We can’t solve this problem,” “We don’t have enough time.”
• For example, if you’re stuck while writing a new story, instead of obsessing over the next part, start throwing out ideas for what could happen next, or think about how the story would unfold if you broke the boundaries of what you could write (you might even need to change the ending to make the story work).

Reframe the problem. Looking at an issue or project from a fresh perspective is part of the process of finding creative solutions and ideas. Viewing something from a new angle allows you to discover solutions that you might not have considered otherwise. Fortunately, there are solid techniques you can apply to reframe a concept.

• Flip the problem upside down. This can be done literally or figuratively; flipping a picture upside down can make it easier to draw because your brain focuses on how to create it, rather than what concept it should convey. This is also effective for other conceptual issues.
• For instance, if you’re writing a book and struggling to connect the protagonist to an event in the story, ask yourself, “Does this character need to be the main one? What would the story look like if another character took the lead role? Or could multiple characters play lead roles?”
• Work backwards. Sometimes, you need to focus on the solution first, and then develop it by working backward. For example, if you work in advertising for a newspaper and your publication is losing revenue due to insufficient ad sales, start with the best possible outcome (securing more high-quality ads). Then, work backward by reaching out to industries and business groups that could provide the most valuable ads.

Daydream. Daydreaming helps you make connections, form patterns, and recall knowledge. It’s the key to thinking outside the box because it allows you to come up with connections you might not have thought of otherwise. So, when you daydream, the best ideas often come from seemingly nowhere.

• Take time to daydream. Turn off your computer, TV, and phone. If you’re constantly plugged into distractions, your brain will struggle to rest and make connections.
• You can daydream while walking or showering (which is also why walking and showering can spark creative thinking). Daydream in the morning while still in bed, or at night before you fall asleep.

Set Boundaries. Sometimes, you may struggle to think outside the box. In those moments, try setting basic boundaries for yourself. This might sound like it’s limiting creativity, but when you establish the right boundaries, you’ll see that it actually opens up new possibilities.

• Starting with an overly broad topic can feel overwhelming. Instead of asking, “How can I increase ad revenue?”, try asking more specific questions like, “How can I encourage businesses in the community to advertise more? What can I do to show potential clients that advertising in my newspaper is a smart choice?” or “What incentives can I offer businesses to get them to advertise on my platform?”
• You’ll still ask open-ended questions and explore various options, but by narrowing your focus to a particular issue or task, you’ll be able to generate more concrete ideas.
• For example, instead of asking, “How can I make my young adult novel different from others?”, focus on specific elements of the story, such as, “Who will be the main character? Is this character like every other main character (white, heteronormative, beautiful but unaware)? Or, if it’s a fantasy story, what will the magic system be like? Will it involve mystical philosophies, or will young people’s magic have more grounded or unconventional rules?”
• Alternatively, tell yourself you need to rewrite a scene where the character cannot use their powers. How do they get out of that situation?

Consider the Worst-Case Scenario. Fear often stifles creativity. By imagining the worst-case scenario, not only can you prepare for it, but you might also convince yourself that it’s not as bad as it seems, and therefore worth trying.

• For example, in advertising: You might wonder what would happen if you went all in on a new plan to encourage long-term advertising partners (such as offering better positions, discounted rates, etc.). The worst-case scenario might be that no one pays attention to your offer or that you lose money. Come up with a contingency plan for those possible failures.
• For a novelist: The worst-case scenario could be that no publishers or agents want to take on your book because they need something similar to the most popular young adult novel currently on the market.

Eliminate Negativity. The biggest obstacle to thinking outside the box is negativity. If you constantly tell yourself that you can’t think creatively or dismiss any ideas that seem unconventional, you’ll limit the possibilities available to you.

• Consider what happens when you talk negatively about your ideas. When you come up with an odd idea for your book, do you immediately think, “I could never write that way”? That’s exactly what keeps you from ever writing that story.
• Whenever you catch yourself having a negative reaction to your ideas, replace those thoughts with positive or neutral ones. For example, if you’re thinking, “I’ll never be able to get clients to advertise with those incentives,” stop and say, “I’ll try and see if those incentives work better.”

Keep Your Creative Mind Sharp. Like any other skill, creativity needs to be practiced. Even when there’s no immediate need for creative solutions, continue developing your creativity. It will come in handy when you unexpectedly face a situation that requires thinking outside the box.

• Start by arranging a word in alphabetical order. Take a word from a magazine or bulletin board, and rearrange its letters alphabetically. For example, the word NUMBER can be rearranged as B-E-M-N-R-U. This exercise stimulates your brain because it forces you to use all the information (all the letters) and do something unusual with them. It trains your mind to make unexpected connections and approach problems from a new perspective.
• Play a game of finding alternative uses for household items. This teaches you to look at objects and situations from a new angle. For example, use an old boot as a flower pot or create a table out of books.

Break Your Daily Routine. Creativity flourishes when you’re not confined by old patterns. Even small changes can help you escape your rut and encourage innovative thinking.

• Step out of your comfort zone. Doing things you haven’t planned for, especially new activities, can help you face unfamiliar situations more easily. It broadens your mind and introduces you to new ideas and situations, leading to unique insights.
• Act on impulse. Occasionally, do something unplanned. This forces you to adapt quickly and tackle challenges on the spot. You can also apply this approach to your ongoing projects.
• Make small alterations. For example, take a different route home each day or change the coffee shop you visit every morning.

Explore a Different Field. This helps you understand how people outside your area of expertise operate and provides you with ideas to integrate into your own field. These industries might be entirely different or overlap with yours, but they will still offer you a fresh perspective on your work.

• For example, someone in advertising could explore psychology topics or observe businesses seeking advertising services.
• A novelist might read outside their preferred genre (such as mystery, fantasy, or classics) to find inspiration beyond their usual scope.

Learn Something New. The more you expand your knowledge, the more connections your brain can make. The more information your brain absorbs, the more likely it is to generate new, innovative ideas.

• Take courses outside your field. This could include anything from cooking classes (even if you’re not a chef) to rock climbing. A novelist might use cooking knowledge to create a magic system where characters have a unique connection to their craft, unlike those who follow strict guidelines.
• Learn a new language. This not only sharpens your mind and creates new mental connections, but it can also open up entirely new ways of thinking. A person in advertising might use their new language skills to create bilingual ads and reach a wider audience.

Surround Yourself with Creative People. Humans are inherently social beings. You’ll be inspired when those around you are inspired. Your creativity will remain high when you collaborate or form friendships with individuals who inspire your work and fuel your creative drive.

• This is especially helpful if you make friends with people outside your industry. They can offer fresh perspectives on your work that you may not gain from someone who shares the same ideas.
• This is also why stepping out of your comfort zone is important. It’s where you’ll meet people who challenge you and spark your creativity, people who think differently than you do.

Pay attention to the ideas of others. Ideas never exist in isolation. Even creative minds like Salvador Dali (as an example) started his artwork from pre-existing sources that he had absorbed. Paying attention to others' ideas can nurture your own.

• You’ll learn how others think outside the box. By understanding the thought processes of others, you can avoid mental stagnation. You might ask yourself, "How might my creative artist friend view this advertising issue?"
• You can also explore the ideas of famous reformers. Analyze which of their ideas were effective and which were not. Look into their approaches that foster creativity (such as the examples of Steve Jobs, Tchaikovsky, and Toni Morrison mentioned earlier in this article) and try to implement them.

Learn to listen. One way to encourage creative thinking is by staying silent and truly listening to what others have to say. This is a good idea, partly because it allows you to fully hear what the other person is saying, so you won’t repeat what’s already been presented. It also helps you organize your thoughts before you speak.

• For example, an advertiser trying to convince a business to place an ad may fail if the business dislikes the newspaper. If the advertiser doesn't listen to the business's concerns (like feeling their ads aren't prioritized or they dislike some content in the paper), they won’t succeed. This business will then be included in a plan to win back advertisers who are dissatisfied.

Remember, you’ll present ideas that may not be ‘normal’. This is a reminder that you are working with others, especially in professional relationships. Sometimes unconventional ideas might not be the right approach.

• Keep in mind that not all of your ideas will be successful. That’s okay! It’s part of the learning process, which is why you must consider the worst-case scenario when coming up with a new idea.

• Be ready to explore things outside your comfort zone. It brings a sense of freshness, allowing you to discover new things and meet new people.
• Read something outside your usual genre. For example, if you think you 'hate' detective stories, why not try reading one? You might be surprised to find it interesting; even if you don’t, you’ve still challenged your thought process.

• Learning to change your mindset is neither a quick nor an easy journey. Be patient. Enjoy the process of getting there.