1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to get new ideas. Everyone 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: likes to talk about innovation as this big, fancy concept, 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: but if you think about it, innovation just means coming 5 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: up with new ideas, preferably lots of new ideas. Because 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: creativity turns out to be a numbers game. Some stuff 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: will work and some stuff won't, so we've got to 8 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: throw a lot of stuff at the wall to see 9 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: what sticks. But very few people build much thinking time 10 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,480 Speaker 1: into their lives. Instead, most of us spend our days 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: responding to emails, tromping to status meetings, and leaving precious 12 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: little time open. Then we wonder why our brains feel 13 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: so fried. Unfortunately, the cycle of reactivity is incredibly counterproductive. 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 1: By responding to everything immediately, we don't carve out the 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: space to come up with the ideas that make people 16 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: want to email us in the first place. Some people 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: might be able to go off into a been in 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,279 Speaker 1: the woods for months at a time, but I think 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: most of us need to come up with more realistic 20 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: ways to build strategic thinking into our lives. Fortunately, there 21 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: are simple steps we can take to get our brains 22 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: into turning mode quickly. In my time management fable Juliette 23 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: School of Possibilities, Riley, the heroine comes up with her 24 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: career saving idea while she is biking on the boardwalk. 25 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: She's so busy, but she's reluctantly pulled herself away from 26 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: her inbox. Then, almost by magic, she figures out an 27 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 1: answer that had eluded her before. That scene is fiction, 28 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: but I wrote it because it feels so true to life. 29 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: How many of us get our best ideas while driving, 30 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: or in the shower, or while hiking or biking somewhere. 31 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: I can sit at my desk and feel like I'm 32 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: banging my head against the wall for hours, But then 33 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: I get up and go run. I don't listen to music. 34 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: I just let my mind go, and I almost can't 35 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: stop the ideas from coming. Indeed, I figured out a 36 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: lot of the major plot points for Juliette's School of 37 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: Possibilities while I was running around my neighborhood. The key 38 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: is creating space in our lives. When we aren't in 39 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: reactive mood, our minds are free to wander. Then our 40 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: brains proved pretty smart. They wander into some amazing places 41 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: so figure out how you might build in some brain 42 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: breaks into your life today. Maybe after you're done listening 43 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: to this podcast, you don't listen to anything else in 44 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: the car. In the silence, you let your thoughts go 45 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: where they will. Or when you find yourself stumped at work, 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: you get up from your desk and go walk outside. 47 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: I'd say don't bring your phone but you might need 48 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: it to send notes to yourself about all the great 49 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 1: ideas I promise you're going to get. And here's the thing. 50 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: Our brains are creatures of habit, like anything else. If 51 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: you go into each bike ride or shower thinking I 52 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: get my best ideas here, then your brain will start 53 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,679 Speaker 1: doing what it knows to do and soon you'll find 54 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: yourself feeling very innovative, or at least cleaner and in 55 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: better shape. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, 56 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 57 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 58 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 59 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at before Breakfast Pod 60 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D. 61 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 62 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeart media dot Com that Before Breakfast is 63 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I 64 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch.