I’m 40,000 words into writing a new book and I need some help. The book is about ideas and I have a simple question to ask. The question is: Where and when do you do your best thinking? I’m after is a sentence, although if you’d like to go totally mad and write more (or send photographs) I’d be more than happy. BTW, it would really help if you give an indication of whether you are male/female, what you do for a living and how old you are (very roughly).
Of course, you are probably wondering where and when I do my best thinking? The answer is looking out of windows, especially on long-haul flights…
I do my best / most illuminating/productive thinking while engaged in one of the three B’s; bed, bath or bus.
For the record, I’m female, born the same year punk was, and I work in social media at online innovation company Geekdom.
Thank you! I love the three B’s.
I would say in a secluded part of a ski mountain, deep in the woods — it’s quite magical and I developed a business basically by spending a few months in spots like this. I’m male, 1982, and I’m currently an MBA student. Good luck with the book.
Thanks!. Sounds to me like you are a reader of Henry Thoreau…
male 42years. best contemplative thinking: on the go, in the plane, weekends with coffee and newspaper, by the see, at a lake, on the slopes, in limbo, cut off from all other action.
best thinking: in action, in improvisation and provocation, when writing.
I get my best ideas… doing ethnography… in my shower… and the very best ones as I’m on the brink of falling asleep!
At two dissimilar places: jogging & engaged in meaningful discussions (on or offline) with colleagues. Great ideas emerge from the dynamic, rapid exchange of views. Male, 36, design research. BTW, best book I’ve read “about ideas” is Edgar Morin’s “The method volume 4”, highly recommended…
This is all fantastic stuff….please keep it coming!
R.
Whilst waiting for waves.
forgot to add: profession is management consultant
I use to do by best thinking trying to runaway(unconsciously) from some hard work : After some weeks of very intensive work my mind try to escape. In my case I do my best thinking in that kind of situations and doesn’t matter the place (sometimes driving a car, waiting for a flight, reading a book, listening to others in a meeting, and always during my holidays ..). More intensive is my work more ideas I have in the opposite side of my mind when I have a litlle break. I lost the control in that moments and it’s a flood of ideas.
Male. IT Project manager
Antonio (Madrid, Spain)
1. every day I take a walk listening to some podcasts. After a while I stop listening and I start thinking and I (usually) get my best ideas. Strangely this doesn’t work if I switch off my iPod or if I listen to music instead of speeches. Podcasts are in english but ideas are in italian: perhaps this does the trick.
2. in the car when someone else is driving
3. while cooking (please note that I’m a terrible cook and I always think to something else in the process)
I’m from Italy, female, 33 years old and I do trend research.
This is probably the best response I’ve ever had on a posting. Please keep them coming it’s fascinating stuff!
Richard,
Three main times/places for me, in order of frequency/effectiveness:
a) the shower (something about the brain not having to think and being able to go into automatic, so it can wander perhaps?)
b) reading newspapers on a Saturday morning over breakfast
c) looking out the airplane window
I’m late 20s, male, and work in a media agency.
Ideas come anywhere but the office, home or work. Brushing my teeth is often a moment of undemanded ‘ker-ching’ … a bit like when you’re trying to recall a name and can’t … but then it arrives unprompted like lost mail over dinner. Going for a walk, playing with my wee boys, having a conversation on a different subject, but realising the parallel. Workwise I am a researcher, just turned consultant (by choice!) but most recently worked for a fund manager, Do both quant and qual work, very applied. Like to try and work out inter-relationships between complex issues, variables and trends. Holistic thinker more than straightline. Interestingly, I am someone who needs to do the work … the implementation, the analysis or the writing, in a defined workspace.