Most of us know that when it comes to brainstorming, the idea is to get all the ideas and creativity flowing before trying to structure and figure out the “how” of getting things implemented. In our home businesses, we may be so focused on making things work on a daily basis that we forget and censure ourselves and our ideas. Instead of trying so hard to always get things right, we can encourage our own creativity by getting all those ideas out on the table first–and THEN figuring out how to make it happen.
I have written before about how I keep a notebook and scribble down all my ideas and inspirational morsels in the notebook. This is partly so I won’t forget them and partly because what seems silly today, could be tomorrow’s inspiration. As you come up with ideas for improvements, changes, efficiencies, etc. in your home business–get them down on paper or in a file and save them. Don’t critique yourself as to whether they are do-able or stupid–just jot them down. Get them all out there on the table so that you can look them over. If you stop the ideas before they even get to the investigation stage, you could be stifling your creativity and problem-solving resources.
Remember, with most of us, we don’t have a big “think tank” for our businesses, we just have ourselves. This means that we have to take and nurture our ideas where we can get them! If we shoot things down or tell ourselves all the ways that an idea cannot work before it has a chance to fully incubate, we are selling our home businesses short. Get those ideas out on the table first, then you can figure out how to make them happen (or not) after they’ve had a chance to see the light of day.
Also: Puzzles and Brainstorming Can Really Give You a Boost
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