JUMP START


Doug Hall (1995). Jump Start Your Brain.


Hall has a BS in chemical engineering and worked a decade for Procter and Gamble before retiring at age 32 and starting his own organization that consulted with many Fortune 500 companies. This book shares some of his secrets about creativity. Throughout the book, Hall uses quotes, especially quips from Benjamin Franklin and quotes from himself and his employees. Some of the ideas that resonated with me:

  • to brainstorm creative ideas, instead of pulling ideas out of our brain, stimulate the brain with new ideas and link them back to the problem, decision, issue, topic, or idea at hand--the stimuli can be ANYTHING--pictures in a  magazine, newspaper headlines, tv shows, words in the dictionary, titles of books, famous people...in one section, Hall lists 1,090 items in categories for an activity he calls, "Dr. Disecto."
  • part of creativity is learning to PLAY like a kid again, creating a comfortable environment to play is essential...Hall recommends squirt/nerf equipment, balloons, whoopee cushions, lots of food and drink, relaxed clothing (no ties), no shoes, and an attitude of experimentation and FUN...
  • one activity involves obtaining pictures of oneself starting school, at high school graduation, and currently...then answering the same questions for each age including: nickname, hero, favorite thing to do, best friend, kindest moment, and rating one's happiness...all designed to provide some perspective and regain the spirit of youthful playfulness.
  • mind mapping of Tony Buzan for generating ideas (google for a video of instructions and book). 

there are 37 of these "brain program" ideas for how to "jump start your brain"--well worth exploring--better than asking the AI to come up with ideas for you as you are growing your brain's creative capacities rather than having them wither through assigning them to the AI.

 



 

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