Ten Creative Rules of Thumb for Solving Problems

by Skip Cohen

The year is fast coming to a close and I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm trapped in an old Jimmy Stewart movie and the hands of the clock are just spinning.  PPE is in two weeks in NYC...Mystic 2014 comes up in January, followed by CES/PMA, IUSA in Phoenix and WPPI.  Odds are you're still thinking about holiday promotions and maybe even starting to get a few Christmas orders, but most important of all is the scattered glimmer of thoughts about 2014.

The big questions right now should be, "How can I grow my business, even in what's left of this year?"  "What do I need to do differently next year?"  "What worked in 2013?"...and the list goes on and on.   So, while wandering in and out of cyberspace I found a site called Quoteland and after a little mining uncovered the following gem from Charles Chic Thompson.   While he obviously added some great humor to the concept, think about each of his ten points.   More than likely you'll agree he's dead on and maybe even track down one of his books.

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Top 10 Creative Rules of Thumb

1. The best way to get great ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.

 2. Create ideas that are 15 minutes ahead of their time…not light years ahead.

 3. Always look for a second right answer.

 4. If at first you don’t succeed, take a break.

 5. Write down your ideas before you forget them.

 6. If everyone says you are wrong, you’re one step ahead. If everyone laughs at you, you’re two steps ahead.

 7. The answer to your problem “pre-exists.” You need to ask the right question to reveal the answer.

 8. When you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer.

 9. Never solve a problem from its original perspective.

 10. Visualize your problem as solved before solving it.

Illustration Credit: © motorradcbr - Fotolia.com