“Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”—Steve Jobs
YOUR FIRST IDEA
In a 1961 experiment, researchers tasked participants with generating a list of ideas to solve a creative problem in five minutes. Then the researchers filtered the ideas through a rating and evaluation criteria. The results showed that the ideas listed during the second half, were significantly better than those from the first. Also, there was a correlation between the top ranking ideas coming from the participants who gave the most responses.
The phenomenon suggests that the mind first explores the most obvious solutions before delving into more innovative or less conventional ideas. This is the danger of gravitating toward the first idea that pops up in your head. It denies you the opportunity to find more creative solutions. Innovation does not occur at the beginning of the creative process. It’s the end result. Move beyond the first batch of ideas so more novel ideas can materialize. Your best ideas are often…