We develop innovative thinking in children and adults. How to develop out-of-the-box thinking and creativity that lives in each of us How to think outside the box and make quick decisions

If I asked you to draw a glass of water, how would you do it? Surely you would draw it from the side, and not looking at the glass from above or from some other angle. Why is this important, you ask? Because before you start drawing this glass, your brain already knows how you will draw it. Drawing a glass in an unusual way is an idea on how to think outside the box.

This concept works in all areas of our lives. Before we do anything, our brain is already processing information. On the one hand, this is good. The brain helps keep us safe and protects us from harm and from things that might possibly traumatize us. On the other hand, this is bad because our brain limits our potential.

Thinking outside the box

Exists study published V American magazine medical association, in which Yale medical students studied world art. The study showed that these students saw more medical information, which ultimately saved lives..

Art is the best way to expand your views on many things and your worldview in general. By studying works of art, students became more attentive to detail. So if you want to improve your lateral thinking, consider getting into the arts, or at least start devoting some time to it.

Once you start studying works of art, you will see how many different facets and understandings there are of different objects of art. This will be the same non-standard thinking that will serve you in all areas of life.

We have heard about it many times, but we don't know how to think outside the box. All our lives we have been taught to think inside the glass, without giving us the opportunity to look beyond it. For many people, learning to think outside the box will be difficult and confusing. And the first step in solving this problem may be visiting an art gallery or reading classical literature.

Afterword

If you want to learn to think outside the box, look at objects of art and think about how you could describe them from different angles. Over time, this technique will become easier to use. Simply by looking at the world differently, we teach our brains to think differently and see things differently, which can undoubtedly bring even more happiness and joy into our lives.

How to learn to think outside the box? What is needed for this? This article provides 4 proven techniques for those who strive to think outside the box.

People who are focused on success understand that hard work is not enough to achieve impressive results. It is necessary to use fundamentally different approaches.

And this is possible with non-standard, creative thinking. When a person thinks outside the box, he develops original, interesting, unusual ways to solve a problem, often much more effective in terms of time and effort.

HR managers of many large international companies understand the importance of innovative thinking and in the hiring process they are guided not only by education and track record, but also by the candidate’s ability to solve creative problems.

Thinking outside the box is important not only for inventors or scientists, but also for entrepreneurs, aspiring investors, investors, analysts, a school teacher developing more effective teaching methods, and even a housewife coming up with an unusual recipe.

Traditional thinking negatively affects the desire to think outside the box and creatively. Read the following statements:

Presidential elections should take place every two or six years
The post office must cease to be state-owned and become a private monopoly
Shops must be open from 13.00 to 20.00
The retirement age should be set at 70 years old
In 30 years it will be possible to get rid of prisons.

If, when reading these sentences, you immediately experienced internal rejection, bewilderment, indignation, disgust, indignation, anger, you are probably thinking too stereotypedly.

If instead of the above emotions you started ponder these ideas for their viability, your thinking is probably liberated and ready to perceive something new that does not fit into the usual way of things.

The point here was not whether the above ideas are good or bad, but how a person initially perceives them and whether he tries to think about them instead of instantly renouncing them.

These examples are taken from a wonderful book and, by the way, when the author of the book expressed the idea of prisons at his speech, then after some time (after he set the audience up for the theoretical possibility of abolishing prisons) 78 ideas were generated to implement this proposal.

This is what the human mind is capable of when it thinks outside the box, creatively, unconventionally.

So, how can you learn to think creatively and outside the box?

1. Become receptive to new ideas

Eliminate from your vocabulary phrases like “it won’t work,” “it won’t work,” “that’s stupid,” “useless,” “we’ve never done it that way,” “it’s right because everyone does it.”

2. Experiment and expand your horizons

To expand the boundaries of your own mind, break up your routine with something new, something you haven’t done before. For example:

go to a new restaurant, theater, cinema, museum
read a new book or listen to an album by a band you've never listened to
sign up for a sport that you never planned to do before (for example, martial arts)
sign up for some trainings, seminars, courses
meet new people, preferably not involved in the same activities as you
visit new places
spend your weekend in a new way
develop a new route to work
get yourself a new hobby
study a foreign culture (for example, some African or South American)
try couchsurfing

3. Be progressive

Look for new, effective ways to do something. You shouldn’t do something this way just because you’ve always done it that way, or because your parents taught you that way. Do not allow existing traditions to dictate the way or order of any task.

4. Ask yourself the following questions often:

How can I do this better? (quality improvement)
How can I do more? (improvement of quantity)

By asking yourself these questions, you tune your brain into a rationalizing mood.

Thus, learning to think outside the box is not a difficult task. It all depends on the degree of desire and motivation. It is enough to take the 4 above tips from David Schwartz as a habit and the result will not be long in coming.

Good evening everyone!

A reasonable question will arise when looking at the title: why do we need out-of-the-box thinking? In fact, it gives us all the blessings of the world, it can allow us to reach any heights. I sat and turned over in my head those who had achieved something, built a business, or succeeded in something. I remembered how they came to this. And there is one thing in common - they all deviated from the standards, they did not follow the strict scheme accepted in society. As a result, they are successful.

I often meet people who are squeezed into some kind of framework, who look at everything from one angle. For example, “you can’t earn a lot of money honestly.” That is, they have a set of judgments for all occasions in life, and they live by these judgments. They have their own universe, familiar, familiar, predictable. They even think that everyone lives like this. Oh, I forgot, they also have a category of people who are from a completely different universe, where they put all sorts of successful and famous people. This is a “planet” beyond their reach, beyond their reality.

Therefore, in order to diversify your life, break these boundaries, find yourself, etc., you need, of course, to think outside the box. This is one of the points that will be needed.

The ideal option is when you were taught to think this way as a child, or rather, this thinking was not killed in the bud, which is much more common.

Non-standard thinking is the ability to look at any question from different angles, even from those that no one sees and could not even think about. For example, you can take any situation and start turning it in different directions. You should have dozens of options for why and how this happens. You should not judge from your own bell tower, you should not transfer your complexes, problems, failures to other people and events - all this only leads to narrowness of thinking. Learn to accept that absolutely anything can happen in life, that tomorrow everything will change, and that what was true for you may not be true at all. Remember how those who believed that the earth was round were condemned. So why are you so sure that you are right? You must question everything, you must doubt everything, especially about what seems to be attached to your skull. Do you really think that there are no white crows? It happens, yes, but they die early. So if you don’t know about something, haven’t seen something, haven’t met something, then don’t rush to judge.

Everything described above is not non-standard thinking, but simply broad thinking, when you know how to see different sides, allow them, and question your judgments. Thinking outside the box is hard work, when you not only see different sides, but also find those that do not yet exist, you reproduce what seemed fantastic. And for this we must learn to fantasize, dream, want, not see any obstacles when for us there are no words “this is impossible,” “this is unreal,” “this does not happen.” It often seems to us that that’s it, we’ve gone through all the options, all the moves and exits, and at this very moment it’s time to turn on non-standard thinking, since broad thinking has failed. And instead of withdrawing into yourself, you need to pose the question differently: how can I achieve this, what should I do, how can I achieve this, what else can I come up with, from which side should I approach?

Thinking outside the box is not just about removing boundaries, but it is also about the ability to believe in a miracle, in yourself, in your strengths. It is on the same level as creativity, only if you are focused on creating, then you can open new pages, launch incredible projects, jump over your head, surprise, amaze that everyone will walk with their mouths open, looking at what you showed to the world.

If you now say that you are not a creative person, well, that is your choice. Everyone can create, the only question is the area where you create. Creativity is not just about composing music and painting pictures. All businessmen are also creators.

I wish you all unconventional thinking and good night!

Remember, whoever you are, be better!

Sincerely,
Your personal astropsychologist and tarot reader Anna Merzlyakova

How to learn to think outside the box? This question is asked by many people, from representatives of creative professions looking for original ideas for their works, to schoolchildren who are concerned about how to successfully pass an exam without knowing all the topics. Some might say that such a skill is one of the innate abilities. This means that its artificial development usually does not lead to the desired result.

Others do not share this point of view. A large number of literature devoted to the topic: “How to learn to think outside the box” suggests that the latter are right. Especially many of these books are written by English-language authors. These works often provide a number of tips (for example, “21 ways to think outside the box”) that can help you master a treasured skill.

This article will outline some of these recommendations.

Studying the experiences of famous people

First of all, we should learn from examples from history. During the existence of mankind, there have been many people whose original ideas influenced the destinies of entire nations. With the help of their unconventional thinking, they managed to make great discoveries and influence the course of history. One can at least recall the brilliant plan of commander Bagration, which turned out to be saving for our fatherland during the War of 1812. Then, two troops were sent to confront the multi-million army of Napoleon Bonaparte that had invaded the borders of Russia. One of them was commanded by Bagration, and the other by Barclay de Tolly.

The French emperor proudly said that his military force would stand between the two fronts and would not allow the enemy to join forces. Russian troops were in no hurry to rush into battle with the enemy. Bagration retreated all the way to Moscow, without fighting a general battle, but participating only in minor skirmishes, which could not bring significant losses to his army, but gradually reduced the size of the French army.

The great commander, being an out-of-the-box thinker, realized that in Russia it was possible to conduct military operations differently than on the territory of any other European state. The vast territory of our country simply could not be overcome by the French without losses.

In addition, the harsh climate also played an important role in confronting the enemy. The pinnacle of tactical thought of Russian military leaders was a retreat from Moscow. The Russians gave the enemy free access to the ancient capital, but before doing this, they burned it to the ground.

They did the same with most of the territory captured by the enemy. This method is called "scorched earth". French soldiers had to stay in the devastated city for several weeks. Hunger began. In addition, the winter of that year was severe. It was no easier for the French when they began to retreat from Moscow. In the burned areas they could find neither shelter from bad weather nor more or less suitable food.

As a result, the demoralized, hungry and frozen handful of French survivors crossed the border in the opposite direction. This was the death of the great army of Napoleon Bonaparte.

How to learn to think outside the box? This art can be mastered by considering similar examples from history.

Analysis of historical events

The analysis of one or another extraordinary idea can also have a positive impact on mental activity. For example, in the case under consideration, Bagration neglected the European traditions of warfare and decided to save the lives of soldiers by leaving the fight against enemies to natural conditions. He was able to overcome the general belief that handing over Moscow to the enemy means destroying Russia.

Different variants

Another powerful tip for learning to think outside the box is: “Always consider multiple options to solve a problem.”

There is a European proverb: “Even if you find yourself in the stomach of a whale, a person has at least two options.” You can think outside the box and develop this skill using the following exercise.

You need to name any noun and come up with a hundred options for possible actions with this object. For example, taking the word “coin”, a person, as a rule, first of all names such verbs as “pay off” and “lend”.

But when the standard options are exhausted, he has to invent more sophisticated solutions. Here you can recall another proverb, this time Russian, which sounds like this: “The need for invention is cunning.” And indeed, in the absence of any thing, a person very often finds a replacement for it, using available materials. Sometimes quite unexpected objects come into play.

Therefore, when solving a problem, it is sometimes useful to deliberately exclude all trivial options.

Overcome the psychological barrier

It is known that people who think outside the box most often do not like the phrases “that’s not how it’s done,” “everyone does it this way,” and the like.

Acting and thinking outside the box is their way of life. Anyone who wants to develop the ability to come up with original ideas should do the same.

Another barrier standing on the way to this skill is such complexes as self-doubt and low self-esteem. “I won’t succeed” or “no one has done this before” - these expressions are the worst enemies of progress.

The other side of the coin

Excessive self-confidence also harms everything new and original. A bad boss is one who does not know how to admit the fact that the idea expressed by his subordinate is much better than his own.

The same can be said about being “fixated” on a certain course of action. Sometimes it is useful to take a path that has not been taken before. This does not mean that you need to indiscriminately accept everything new, but it is also unwise to reject unusual ideas out of hand.

Thus, in one foreign company, job applicants were asked to comment on the following statements: “All prisons need to be closed,” “The retirement age needs to be raised to eighty years.” Applicants who immediately rejected the possibility of implementing these plans were denied employment.

No emotions!

By the way, such a person’s immunity to non-standard ideas is often explained by his excessive emotionality. He hears a statement that at first glance seems incorrect to him, reacts violently and negatively to it and, due to his impressionability, rejects a good idea. Therefore, in articles on the topic: “Learning to think outside the box,” the following recommendation is often given: “Never say never.” Always think about any idea, even the most ridiculous one.”

Solving a specific problem

So far, this article has talked about developing the general skill of thinking outside the box. But most often people are faced with the need for a new original idea in a specific life situation. What to do when all existing options are not good enough and you need a different way to solve the problem?

Upside down

In this case, it is useful to look at the issue from a different angle. You will see the problem in a new light if you look away from the important details and pay attention to the minor points. This method can also be called “searching for gaps” - a person “attacks” the problem from different sides, looking for the most convenient approach.

Physiology

It is known that the left hemisphere of the brain of most people is responsible for creative thinking. You can stimulate its activity in the following ways:

1. When working at a computer, you should move the “mouse” from your right hand to your left. Then the corresponding hemisphere will receive the necessary warm-up.

2. You can also formulate a problem and write a poem about it. At first glance, this method seems ridiculous. But it is also based on the laws of physiology. By putting a task into poetic form, a person clearly formulates it (using rational thinking, that is, the right hemisphere) and performs a creative act (using the left hemisphere). This way you can activate your brain as much as possible.

Conclusion

Excessive conservatism, as a rule, prevents you from starting to think outside the box. Therefore, while remaining yourself, sometimes it is still worth trying something new, uncharacteristic for you. For starters, you can listen to music from a genre that you have never liked.

Convincing someone to think outside the box is as pointless as forcing a penguin to fly. But it also makes no sense to expect a different result from repeated actions. If you're tired of stepping on the rake, try looking at things from a different angle.

Our whole life is a continuous choice. We choose whether to get up at dawn or sleep longer, drink tea or coffee, walk or take the bus, buy or not buy, study or get married...

We make simple choices without straining ourselves. We agonize over difficult things, sometimes calling on friends for help. Our destiny depends on the choices we make. Like in a fairy tale: if you go to the right - ?.. If you go to the left - ?.. If you go straight - you won’t collect any bones.

Fearing making a mistake, a person faced with a choice usually follows the majority. After all, there is an opinion that the majority is not mistaken. However, the German philosopher Hegel said: “When everyone thinks the same, then no one thinks especially.”

To think like everyone else means to think standardly, in accordance with stereotypes. An example of stereotypical thinking: you definitely need to get a higher education, because people without a diploma are losers. Or: if a girl is beautiful, then she is stupid. Or: a successful person must have a car of a prestigious brand.

Do we think so ourselves or are we supposed to think so? Most people try to keep up with others, and if they do not conform to stereotypes, their self-esteem decreases. Stereotypes drive people into boundaries, limiting their ability to think, analyze and draw conclusions on their own.

It is easier for people to think in stereotypes, figuratively speaking, to ride on well-trodden rails - this will be standard thinking. Non-standard thinking can be compared to an arrow that moves the train to another path.

In our educational institutions they give knowledge, but do not teach them how to think, because people who think in a standard way, like everyone else, are easier to manage. (By the way, most of those who respond to a request to name a Russian poet, poultry, fruit and part of a face name chicken, apple and nose. Their answers are not original. How many will be able to answer the question: what comes first - the seed or the tree? Of course , a seed, the majority will say. But where will the seed come from if there is no tree?)

Knowledge can be called the raw material for decision making, but without the inability to think outside the box, it will be of little use. French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that “to see clearly, sometimes it is enough to look from a different point of view.” To think differently than everyone else means to think outside the box, to be the master of your own destiny.

Why think outside the box

Why do some people manage to “catch the Firebird”, unlock their potential, become successful and happy, while others are said to be “neither a candle to God nor a devil’s poker,” while they themselves whine about missed opportunities and “villain fate”? The difference in the destinies of the first and second is in the ability or inability to go beyond standard thinking.

A person who thinks differently than everyone else is a creator, a seeker who has escaped the captivity of templates and stereotypes. Would our outstanding contemporary and other great people be able to make discoveries, realize themselves, leave their mark on Earth if they thought in a standard way? Of course not.

Gray mediocrity, who are comfortable thinking like everyone else - in stereotypes, which means not thinking at all, constitute a gray mass that blindly follows the person they have chosen as a leader. Even if he leads them to a dead end.

A gray life, gray thoughts and gradual degradation - that’s what the inability to think outside the box is. The harm of stereotypes is that they relax the brain, which no longer wants to do anything, and a relaxed brain means a degraded one.

And vice versa, life drive, the joy of creativity, a sense of personal strength and inner freedom, pride in oneself, recognition and respect - all this is received by a person who has escaped the captivity of stereotypes.

People who dream of becoming successful as individuals must learn to think outside the box, to move the arrows of their lives to a different path - away from templates, routine and boredom.

However, there have been, are and will be people who think in stereotypes. And they can even become professionals in some narrow industry. But, as a rule, they see life in a gloomy light, and they do not love themselves or people. They walk along the narrow corridor of life, not imagining that behind its walls a vibrant, interesting life is seething.

Rebooting to outside-the-box thinking and breaking patterns

How willing we are to think outside the box can be tested by asking questions like: “Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone or prefer not to? Are you doing something you don't like, but don't dare change jobs? Are we grumbling about how we’re fed up with everything, but not changing anything? How do we perceive something new - do we immediately reject it or think about it first?”

People who think in stereotypes really don’t like to leave their comfort zone. They will whine that everything is bad, but they won’t lift a finger to get out of the usual stagnation. All kinds of changes frighten them. Someone jokingly remarked on their behalf: “Dreams, adventures, great things called me. But the sofa screamed loudest.”

Every day we perform the same actions and, as a rule, in the same sequence. We already do many things “automatically”, and our brain gets used to not thinking and relaxes. Simple ways to "enable" it are:

1. Do non-standard things

We are used to getting to work on the same road, we know all the traffic lights, bumps and potholes, we almost say hello to strangers whom we are used to meeting every morning? Let's change the route - this will force our brain to awaken, cheer up, and turn on attention.

After work, we rush home, but if there are no urgent matters waiting for us there, we will try to change our usual routine - we will invite our wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, without waiting for the weekend, to walk through the park, look into a cafe. Or maybe we’ll go to the pool or workout, or go for a run if we haven’t done it before.

Are we waiting for a vacation to go on a short trip to the country or to a familiar resort? Let's change ourselves and go to an unfamiliar place, country, to the mountains, and not to the sea. Let's take a vacation in the winter, and not in the summer, as usual, and learn some winter sport. Let's try hitchhiking or riding bicycles.

Are you used to dressing in neutral colors? Let's buy ourselves something bright - look at ourselves in a new color! Do we avoid people and don’t like to communicate? Let's make new acquaintances. Or maybe you should change your job? For the best, of course.

If some ideas seem crazy to us, we don’t get indignant, we don’t immediately say “no,” but we analyze whether there is a rational grain in them. In any case, our brain should not sleep, but work. As the poet Nikolai Zablotsky wrote: “In order not to pound water in a mortar, the soul must work day and night, and day and night!”;

2. Break the usual sequence of actions

All our actions are practiced to the point of automaticity: did you wake up, wash your face, have breakfast, get ready, run to work? During the break, do we sit with our eyes on the computer? After work - home? Is one day the same as another? It was just Monday - and now it’s Friday, and it’s the weekend. On weekends - cleaning, walking. And again all over again: Monday - Friday, weekend. We go to the same store for groceries, communicate with the same people, go to the same cafe on the same days.

This means we break out of the usual rhythm and load the brain with new tasks. Of course, you won’t go to work on a day off, and you won’t be able to arrange one for yourself on Monday. But let’s try sometimes to switch from a car to public transport, take the time to walk a few stops, and start cleaning not in the usual manner and not on weekends, but little by little throughout the week.

Buying groceries in different stores, going to unfamiliar cafes, tasting unfamiliar dishes, changing the diet and breaking the usual order of actions - all this makes the brain “not sleep”;

3. Work on the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for talent, creativity and innovative thinking.

There is an opinion that among left-handers there are more people who think outside the box, and all because their right half of the brain is more developed. Therefore, we involve the left, non-working hand in the work, and arrange training for it in writing and drawing.

They improve non-standard thinking and dancing: they develop coordination, motor skills, the ability to distinguish musical rhythm and follow it. We learn to see the unusual in the ordinary: imagine what a cloud or a pattern of leaves reminds us of.

For those who seriously want to engage in the development of the right hemisphere, we can recommend the book written by psychoanalyst Marilee Zdenek, “Development of the Right Hemisphere.” The author offers 67 exercises to do over the course of a week and interviews with famous people about how they develop lateral creative thinking;

4. Read David Schwartz’s book “The Art of Thinking Big”

American professor David Schwartz, a famous author of books on motivation, believes that in order to think outside the box, you must first forget about the negative particle “not”. The words “impossible”, “it won’t work”, “we have never done this” need to be thrown out of your vocabulary and not uttered even in your thoughts.

In order not to think in stereotypes, you need to have a broad outlook. David Schwartz advises communicating with people of different professions, from different social groups, because communication with them fills us with new ideas, thanks to which we can look at the situation in a new way and find new ways to solve problems.

To avoid stagnation, we must periodically ask ourselves: can I do more, can I do better?

10 fun challenges to develop lateral thinking

See the answers in the comments at the bottom of the page.

The hotel has 7 floors. The first floor accommodated eight people, each subsequent floor accommodated 2 more than the previous one. On which floor of the hotel is the elevator called most often?
It was given to you, and it belongs to you now. You have never passed it on to anyone, but everyone you know uses it. What is this?
If it rains at 12 o'clock at night, can we expect sunny weather 72 hours later?
A tin can was placed on the edge of the table, tightly closed with a lid, so that 2/3 of the can hung from the table. After some time, the can fell. What was in the jar?
There are a ruler, a pencil, a compass and an eraser on the table. You need to draw a circle on a piece of paper. Where to begin?
One train travels from Moscow to St. Petersburg with a delay of 10 minutes, and the other from St. Petersburg to Moscow with a delay of 20 minutes. Which of these trains will be closer to Moscow when they meet?
Three swallows flew out of the nest. What is the probability that after 15 seconds they will be in the same plane?
There are two coins on the table; they add up to 3 rubles. One of them is not 1 ruble. What coins are these?
How fast must a dog run without hearing the clink of a frying pan tied to its tail?
A satellite makes one revolution around the Earth in 1 hour 40 minutes, and another in 100 minutes. How can it be?