Re:Ask HN: How do you generate ideas?
by warrenm on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @12:11PM
(#35702451)
- Read outside your "interests"/"comfort zone" [0]
- Talk to other people (especially those a couple degrees separated from the field you're trying to think about)
- Try to come up with bad ideas [1]
- Carry something to write on and with (no - just typing it into your phone is not good enough (but it's better than not recording it at all))
- Ask questions - they're more important than ideas [2]. I reprinted "35 great questions" from Inc a few years ago [3] ... maybe they'll be of help here :)
- Listen to music (especially instrumental or in a foreign language you don't know (eg Carl Orff's Carmina Burana)) that isn't "your thing" ..discovery mode (or whatever the different services call it) on streaming offerings can be pretty interesting; likewise checking-out random albums from your local library
- Talk to other people (especially those a couple degrees separated from the field you're trying to think about)
- Try to come up with bad ideas [1]
- Carry something to write on and with (no - just typing it into your phone is not good enough (but it's better than not recording it at all))
- Ask questions - they're more important than ideas [2]. I reprinted "35 great questions" from Inc a few years ago [3] ... maybe they'll be of help here :)
- Listen to music (especially instrumental or in a foreign language you don't know (eg Carl Orff's Carmina Burana)) that isn't "your thing" ..discovery mode (or whatever the different services call it) on streaming offerings can be pretty interesting; likewise checking-out random albums from your local library
There're a few ideas for you on how to get ideas
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[0] https://theexceptioncatcher.com/blog/2012/11/varying-your-re...
[1] https://seths.blog/2018/06/the-two-simple-secrets-to-good-id...
[2] http://paulgraham.com/ideas.html
[3] https://antipaucity.com/tag/35-questions/