October 22

The Big Three

You probably have more priorities on your plate than you can reasonably handle. Where will you find the ideas you need?

One method that works very well is a technique that I call the “big three.” Write the three most pressing open creative loops in your world (problems to be solved) on a Post-it, an index card, a whiteboard, or someplace where you are likely to see it often. Keep these three problems in front of you as you go through your day.

Why would you want to keep these three open loops in front of you? Because you are priming your mind to look for potentially useful ideas and information as you go through your day. By keeping these problems at the front of your mind, you might notice ideas or connections that you would otherwise have simply glossed over. Sometimes, the best ideas are right under our noses, but we simply can’t see them because we’re not paying attention.

Always keep your most important creative problems in front of you so that you are primed for potential breakthroughs.

QUESTION

What are your three most important, unsolved creative prob­ lems right now? Write them down and keep them in front of you today.