Creative problem solving isn’t a passive activity. It’s an intentional practice. A way of being that sets the conditions needed for breakthrough ideas to emerge.

It’s easy to assume that those lightning bolts of brilliant insight are beyond your direct control. After all, fresh ideas for solutions seem to show up on their own without warning—and typically not at the times when you’re sitting at your desk, staring at a computer screen, or even taking part in a group brainstorming session.

It can seem like the harder you try to discover breakthrough ideas, the less often they show up. You stare at a white board or furiously scribble on a piece of paper, only to get frustrated by your lack of progress.

It’s only later (sometimes much later) that the breakthrough idea pops into your head out of nowhere. Boom! It just hits you while in the shower or driving to the store.

No warning, no effort, no struggle.

All these seemingly random flashes of genius can fool you into believing that creativity isn’t within your direct control. So you never think to develop a proactive problem-solving strategy, process, or set of tools that can help you consistently tap into your innate creative abilities.

But without these tools, it can feel like you’re just randomly hacking away at your problems—with no real progress or impact to show for all your effort.

What will you do today to take more control over your own creative problem-solving capabilities?

• Will you ask yourself, “When and where do I tend to have my best ideas? When and where do I feel blocked and uninspired?”
• Will you ask yourself, “How am I feeling when I tend to have my best ideas? How am I feeling when nothing seems to be flowing for me?”
• Will you write down the answers to the first two questions, and commit to doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t?