The Business Idea Factory

Strategies used to activate the subconscious

It is the left side of the brain that is responsible for judgment, self-control and internal dialogue: it is our analytical side. Meanwhile, the right side, the subconscious, is responsible for the creation of ideas and can process a large amount of information in a few seconds. It is therefore clear that the analytical brain is useless at creating ideas; in fact, it can block the work of the subconscious. Hence, when someone intends to create ideas, they should deactivate the analytical part of their brain and follow three basic rules: no analysis, no criticism, and no internal dialogue.

One example of such strategies is the approach that Walt Disney used to generate new ideas, which consisted of three stages: Dreamer, Realist and Critic. 

• The dreamer stage does not impose limits on creativity. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible without resorting to the judgment of the analytical side.
• The realist, however, tries to find the right method to make the idea a reality.
• The critic, the last stage, is the moment in which the analytical brain is activated. The idea is judged and possible flaws and implementation problems are identified.

The basic rule of this strategy is to activate the analytical part of the brain only after the first two creative stages are completed.

Exercise: try to generate as many ideas as possible, in one hour, on how to earn one hundred dollars. Then, choose the one you like best, try to implement it and see if it works. At this point, you can decide if you want to transform it into something bigger.  This way, it is possible to generate a lot of ideas, but only if you practice the exercise regularly, for example, while ironing, washing the dishes, etc. Ideas are born from life experiences; therefore, they are generated more easily when you are busy doing something, preferably a repetitive activity.