Most people struggle to do what innovators excel at: connecting the unconnected. Here are three ways to get in the habit of making new associations:
- Just do it. Force associations across different ideas when they don’t come naturally. Ask yourself: What else could this idea be connected to?
- Shake it up. When associations don’t emerge, try forcing them to surface. Put seemingly unrelated ideas or words together and see what comes to mind. The creative combinations may spark a new idea.
- Repeat. Research shows that if you practice associational thinking long enough, the task will energize you rather than exhaust you.
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