Creative Problem Solving Ideas

It's Monday. Things are bound to go wrong. You know it and so do I. Here are a few creative problem solving ideas that can get us out of any pickle.

Tell Yourself "It's Not Important"

Of course it's important. Many times when one department has a dilemma, it can affect others in some way, shape or form; but if you tell yourself it's not that important, you're mentally distancing yourself from the issue. According to author and psychology professor Art Markman when we do this, it opens our minds to other possibilities and helps us better assess the bigger picture.

Imagine You Have More Time

You know that dreamy feeling you get when you're imagining your vacation that's still months away? You're open to anything and everything and you're in a great mood and filled with a sense of adventure. Now, imagine you have all the time in the world to work on whatever it was that was dumped on your desk. Of course, you only have a few days to work on it and you also have to juggle it with everything else you have to do, but when you imagine you have more time than you actually do, you don't get caught up in how close the deadline is and it allows you to see things more clearly. According to Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, creating this "psychological distance" can help you figure out a creative solution to your issue.

Take a Break

When you're brainstorming, many times, at least in my case, you write down a few ideas and then you stare at the page and then your mind goes blank. When this happens, get up and walk away. Author Tim Hurson says that insights happen when we aren't actively thinking about the problem. "It allows your mind to work in the background, piecing together fragments of information about the problem that were already floating around, while it effectively 'resets'".

Want more? Click HERE!