Creativity Secrets: The Single Tiny Creativity Secret That Will Catapult Your Creativity Into Orbit

[Dan Goodwin]

I wanted to share this article I just wrote about how my creative productivity has gone from struggling to write 2 or 3 articles a month to writing 30 plus for the last few months. Hope it's useful to you all! Dan.


Creativity Secrets: The Single Tiny Creativity Secret That Will Catapult Your Creativity Into Orbit

A couple of years ago, I was writing maybe 2 or 3 creativity articles a month. And even this small amount didn’t come easy.

I’d spend hours at a blank screen, trying to come up with new ideas for the ezine or article that was due the next day.

Painful.

It wasn’t a very relaxing situation to be in, and of course not very conducive to creating freely and easily.

This last month I’ve written about 35 articles.

So that’s an increase of more than ten times what I was writing before.

The quality of the articles hasn’t changed. In fact many are actually more focused and more effective in communicating what I have to share with you the reader.

So what’s been the difference?

What’s been the key factor that’s enabled me to go from writing 2 or 3 articles a month to 30 plus?

Well, a few things have changed. But the one creativity secret that’s made more difference than anything else is simply this:

I created a text file on my computer called “ArticleIdeas”.

I made it as simple as possible, just wrote “Article Ideas” at the top and then down the left margin typed a few dozen “*” symbols, one each to represent the start of a new idea.

I keep this file open at all times in the background. While I’m surfing the internet, or reading other articles, chatting on forums, or answering emails from my clients, any seed of an idea I have I immediately type in my ArticleIdeas page.

Why is this simple idea so powerful?

There are a number of reasons why this easy to set up file can send your creativity into orbit:

1. You don’t forget the ideas you have. How many fantastic ideas in the past have slipped away from you because you didn’t capture them?

2. You give your creative mind a clear green light. You’re sending the signal to your creativity: “Bring on all the ideas you can produce, there’s a place here for them where they’ll be looked after and appreciated”.

3. Having space for more ideas sets your creative mind a challenge. Remember the list of “*” symbols down the left margin, each ready to receive a new idea? This works so much more powerfully than a completely blank file. It says to your creativity: “Here’s the start of an idea already, you’ve just got to add a little more detail.”

4. The ideas breed like rabbits. There’s something about having all your ideas together that makes them feed off each other. Each time you write one down, inevitably another 2 or 3 connected ideas will appear. Write them down too!

5. When you have ideas, you’re motivated to use them. If you have no ideas it’s intimidating to get started from absolutely nothing. If you already have a stack of ideas ready, just grab the first one that appeals and you’re off and creating!

These are 5 of the reasons why this simple technique will help you have more creative ideas, and catapult your creativity into orbit.

Set up your own “Ideas File” today – either on your computer, or in a notebook and sketchbook – and watch how dramatically it helps you increase your creativity.

© Copyright 2007 Dan Goodwin

[Jeff Herring - The Internet Article Guy]

"The ideas breed like rabbits"

THAT is the best thing I have heard all day!

Write on my friend!

[Nancy Tierney]

I love how your idea "invites" ideas to come by creating a space for them to land. I've just been jotting them down here and there, but I think your list with ** creates a void that must be filled.

Thank you.

[Dan Goodwin]

Lynne, you're welcome!

I also use scraps of paper, mainly when I'm out somewhere and don't have anything else to write on! But I put them into my Ideas File when I get home again.

Lee, yes a journal page would work too. For articles I use a text document on my computer because then I can just cut and paste into Word to write the full article.

For writing personal creative stuff though, there's something about writing by hand in a notebook that adds an extra dimension that you can't get typing at a keyboard. Something to do with getting back in touch with a deeper source or something, I don't know!

Dan.

[Lee Wise]

Yes, thanks for sharing. I would think having a journal page open for the same purpose would do much the same.

Thanks again,

[Lynne Lee]

Brilliant.
Thanks for sharing this Dan. It's so simple and easily accessible to everyone.
I've been doing something similar but my ideas are on scraps of paper and in scattered notebooks - this is so much smarter!