TROUBLESHOOT YOU MIND FOR BETTER

BUSINESS IDEAS

2 JUNE 2016

Hello! I AM Nicolette I’m a Business Creativity and Innovation Trainer. You can find me at: @nickionideas

So you want to come up with great ideas

Ideas that will make your customers rave about you?

“ You have to be really courageous

about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you’ll just knuckle under and things that might have

been memorable will be lost. Francis Ford Coppola

BIG CONCEPT

But where can good ideas be found?

You pick up a sheet of paper and a pen and … all you do is stare at it.

The longer you stare at it, the less inspired you are

You know that your business depends on

good ideas to be able to compete effectively.

But the creative parts

of your brain are constipated…

“ Welcome to the desert of Idea Blocks

A land full of pain, peril, confusion and frustration!

“ It doesn’t have to be, unblocking your

creative mind is a challenge, but it can be

a fun challenge.

As long as you understand what

causes it and what to do about it, you

don’t have to worry.

Where do Idea Blocks Come from?

Unlike other blockages we experience as humans, Idea blocks aren’t caused by having too much of something, but too little.

Remember THIS

○ Your mind is like a computer ○ You put something in ○ It processes it ○ You get something out

So if you want ideas You need to put something in.

So if you want fresh ideas what should you do?

Feed it something fresh.

Why does it need fresh?

Imagine Your Brain Is a Chef

If it uses fresh ingredients you’ll enjoy what it produces

if it doesn’t… let’s just say you won’t like it…

5 types of freshness your creative brain needs

#1 Fresh Experiences-

What new experiences

have you had lately

• TV

• Social Media

• Pub

OR

• Join a latin dance class

• Go watch a theatre

production or play

• Go to a music or

cultural festival

#2 Fresh Environments-

Have you been anywhere

new of late?

• Office

• Couch at home

• Kitchen at home

• Bed at home

OR

○Take a walk (outside your

house)

○Explore other areas of the

city you live in

○Travel a bit

#3 Fresh Questions

Are you still asking the same old

questions?

• How do I save more money?

• How do I make more money?

• How do I cope with customer

complaints?

OR

• How do I make my products

more fun?

• How can I surprise my

customers?

• How can I make people want

to talk to me personally as the

owner of this company?

#4 Fresh Expectations

• How will my business survive

another month?

• How many customers will I

lose this month?

• How much will fuel prices rise

at the pumps?

OR

• How can I ensure that my

business culture is so great,

people look forward to coming

to work?

• How can I get customers to

share their great experiences

with others?

• How can I make the use of

company cars so efficiently,

that it doesn’t matter what is

happening at the pump?

#5 Fresh skills

• Changing the channel

while patting the dogs

head

• Checking the kids

homework while

burning/making dinner

• Making washing the car a

fun game for your kids

OR

• Get a hobby, and learn to

make something

• Learn a new language

• Learn basic design

Be on the offensive not on the defensive

Being on the defensive usually means you’re under pressure

It gets harder to think

when you are under

pressure.

When You’re on the offensive, you’re taking charge of your mind and being proactive.

Being proactive

= Being

confident.

15 Bad habits that lead to idea blocks

#1 Watching too much TV #2 Not exercising #3 Never being quiet or alone #4 Running all your ideas past someone #5 Not getting enough sleep #6 Drinking too much caffeine #7 Not drinking enough caffeine

#8 Not hanging out with a different crowd # 9 Not taking breaks from hectic schedules #10 Beating yourself up #11 Being on your phone all the time #12 Eating junk all the time #13 Not writing your ideas #14 Not having all your ideas in one place #15 drinking too much alcohol

What can you do right now

To make sure you don’t get blocked in the first place?

#1 Get up 15 minutes early to have quiet times to do “Free Fall Thinking”

#2 Get Inspired, by meeting up with likeminded people once a week

#3 Take short 20 minute walks, 3 times a week (without your phone)

#4 Get 8 hours of sleep, at least 3 times a week

#5 Get on Youtube and look for videos on something you’ve been curious about for a while

#6 Sign-up to do an online course, on something you’ve never done before, look on places like Udemy or Coursera.

Remember, when it comes to unblocking your mind

It’s all about giving it fresh ingredients to work with.