Get Away From The Problem

Sometimes, to find your idea, you need to get away from it.

It’s sort-of like looking for love. Last week, I overheard two people moaning about their inability to find a boyfriend. Then I heard the familiar advice: “The moment you stop looking for love, you’ll find it.”

The same thing is true with creativity and problem solving. If you’ve got a problem, stop looking for the answer.

Stop thinking about the problem!

The intentional separation of your brain from the problem is a form of cognitive disengagement.

Technically that means: “Mental activity not associated with the problem itself.”

Here’s an easier description. “Go do anything else.”

This aspect of creative thought became a ‘formal part’ of the creative problem-solving process since 1926 when Graham Wallas wrote about it in his book The Art of Thought. In his original four-step process, he called it Incubation (“Where the problem is internalized into the unconscious mind, and nothing appears externally to be happening.”)

You can read about Wallas’ process (now five steps) in . Scroll down to Step #2.

Every creativity expert outlining their own thought process has included a similar element ever since, from Alex Osborn to Roger von Oech to Edward de Bono to others.

The incubation step also includes “daydreaming” to combat the creative block. More often than not, the block is self-imposed – usually by assumptions the brainstormer places on the topic or issue. The most common remedy for creative blocks is to get away from the problem. Stop thinking about it!

Separate yourself from the problem 

There’s several ways you can get away from the problem in hopes of finding creative solutions.

Get away physically and mentally.

Literally, get away physically and mentally from the problem and go do anything else, preferably something not associated with the problem itself.

When I’m fighting to solve a problem, I find a boring activity: folding laundry, organizing my office, vacuuming, filing receipts. My extravagance is going to the pool and swimming laps. That’s an introverted thinker for you.

My extroverted friend Tom prefers to find a place extremely noisy and active for inspiration. His favourite place: his local coffee house. (I tell him he’s just going for the coffee. He says if he can combine two into one, so be it.)

Another option is his partner Marilyn who brainstorms the lazy way. She will sleep on the problem. Marilyn absolutely swears she can ‘program’ her brain to think of the problem while she sleeps. It’s amazing how often she typically has a whole different perspective on a problem the next morning, as well as a few creative options to consider.

Engage your brain in different ways.

If you don’t want to step entirely away from the problem – you’re crunched for time, you’re at work – introduce something else into your brainstorming.

Try icebreakers or games which engage the hands because research shows hand-to-brain interaction and coordination increases the firing of more horsepower in the brain. That’s why LEGOs, modeling clay or drawing with crayons are good ways to force yourself to re-think.

Visual elements can also get the head and hands involved. The trick is to have lots of visual images immediately at hand. I collect postcards from every coffee shop I visit. I have a huge file of photographs ripped from magazines in my desk drawer. I keep a stack of visual books at hand in the library. I’ve even used a dictionary to force other disassociated thoughts into my head. You can also open your preferred and search for images. Try this article: and use the scroll button to jump to my favourite picture-based websites for creative inspiration.

Two heads are better than one.

It’s an obvious cliché, but an important one. Another brain can help stretch or challenge your creative block. Another twist may be to do it purely for the social networking and engagement. It’s funny how many times something will pop up in the middle of a casual conversation, and I instantly connect it back to my original problem. It happened just last night when I caught up with an old friend over dinner. Something about his recent trip to Los Angeles made me think of an alternative approach to a training program I was writing.

Who knows why and where creative inspiration will zap into your brain? That’s why it’s good to  to jot and organise your ideas.

We’ve all been here. What have you done to get away from the problem?  Please add your thoughts or comments below.