A few years ago, I wrote about using creativity techniques to get unstuck from everyday problems. But since it’s an enduring need and the world never seems to stop throwing problems our way, it seems fitting to tackle the subject again.

This post is for you if you need to get unstuck with an everyday problem or a creative project.

Recognize You’re Stuck

Often, we’re doing the same thing over and over (maybe with little tweaks to our approach) and expecting different results. Going around and around with little progress is the most obvious clue that we need to get unstuck. But there are other clues:

• Maybe you do have a solution but it’s still proving inadequate.
• Maybe you, your friends or family are skeptical anything can change.
• Or maybe you’re falling behind on a goal and it’s eating away at you.

Think about it – what clues suggest that you’re stuck?

Clarify the Problem

Try to get clear about what the problem really is. What are you trying to accomplish? This helps broaden our thinking about possible solutions. For example, do you need a car (one solution) that reliably works? Or is the problem really about reliable transportation (broader possibilities)?

Once you have that clarity, write it out as “I need creative thinking about ______.”

How about your problem – are you able to find the deeper issue and frame the problem more broadly?

Recognize Autopilot Beliefs

Many people have heard the over-used phrase, thinking outside the box. Well, the first step is to know what box you’re in.

Creativity researcher Edward de Bono called this mental valleys. We have autopilot assumptions and ways of thinking, based on our language and experiences. This is very helpful for navigating everyday communications and life. But . . . it is not helpful when we need to get unstuck from everyday problems and need to think creatively.

We have to recognize we’re going on autopilot for a particular issue, stop before we start down that path and be willing to make some leaps.

My younger daughter loves the movie, The Greatest Showman. There’s a pivotal moment at the end when Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum recognizes his mental valley about trying to start fresh after a fire destroys his theater. The circus cast bemoans not having enough money for a new building in the heart of the city. Then Barnum realizes they don’t need a building (mental valley) but can erect a large tent in a more affordable part of the city (creative solution). I don’t know if this is how it really played out in Barnum’s life but it makes the point!

How about your sticky problem? What are the default actions you’ve tried or are tempted to take? Your first instinct on what to do? This should help you identify the autopilot mental valleys you have about the situation and solutions.

Experiment with Creativity Techniques

Next, we need to give our minds permission to think differently to challenge those autopilot assumptions. Sometimes this happens without much prompting. Sometimes, using specific creative problem-solving techniques help.

Here are just a few methods I find useful to get unstuck from everyday problems. There are many techniques in the world. Find ones you enjoy. I’ve added some resource links below.

• Imitate to innovate. Pay attention or deliberately search for ideas from other people, places and settings. This is how much creativity occurs in the world. Ideas are plucked from one context and applied in a new way.
• Provoke yourself to think differently. For example, take away a “must have” and see how you’d cope. Impose a ridiculous constraint or exaggerate the situation. Ask what if? questions and look for alternatives.
• Think impossibly, because impossible isn’t always as impossible as we believe. Ask yourself what solutions you’d try if there were zero barriers and why that solution is appealing. Then ask why it’s impossible and keep chipping away at just how impossible it really is. Do some research to see if there are solutions, even partial ones, that could help. Remember, the world is constantly innovating.
• Take what you have on hand and mash it up in new ways. This is fun for problems involving supplies, materials and space. Much innovation in the world involves combining items or functions that used to be separate. Just look at that smart phone in your hand. You’re my generation if you can remember when a phone was a phone, a camera was a camera, a music player was a music player, a calculator was a calculator . . . you get the picture. This is the fun of creating life hacks and browsing Pinterest!

Where do you want to start? Pick one approach to try and see what it yields.

A Few Tips

• It’s important to not limit your ideas to only ones that seem immediately practical. Doing creativity exercises with others can help because you get diverse thinking and can challenge each other against self-editing.
• Volume is good. One method is to generate at least seven ideas, more if you can. This pushes you beyond the usual solutions.
• Ideas that get a reaction are typically the most creative. It could be laughter, cringing or curiosity, but it’s “out of the box” if it perks you up.

What do you think? Maybe you’ve already been coming up with creative ideas more than you realize. 

Try Out Some Ideas

How will you know what is most likely to help you get unstuck? You won’t until you test something. In the process improvement world, we focus on small-scale, rapid tests of change. That means trying an idea one time, or one day, or with one customer and so on. Then you evaluate how it worked and decide whether to adopt, adapt or abandon. You might have an obvious keeper. Or you might need to tweak and try it a few more times before knowing. Or you might decide to abandon the idea and take what you learned to the next idea.

Another benefit of testing ideas: it means you haven’t committed to them yet, which can feel daunting. You’re just trying ideas on and seeing which ones fit.

A Few Resources

• Quick and Easy Creativity Techniques to Get Unstuck (materials from my October 2021 presentation as part of my lean improvement work for my state): 1-hour recording, presentation handout and resources handout with lots of links
• Creativity handouts on my website
• Articles about the assumption reversal technique: Stuck in Old Ways of Thinking? Try This Simple Innovation Technique and Turn Your Assumptions Upside Down
• Here’s an interesting article titled Automaticity—Why We Act Without Thinking.
• Ignite Your Everyday Creativity course through Coursera – you can take for free in audit mode or explore their paid options to receive a certificate if you want to apply this to professional development goals; 4 weeks online, approx. 19 hours to complete

Congratulations, you’re now a creative improvement specialist taking charge of sticky life problems! I love to hear about what people try and whether it helps you get unstuck from everyday problems. Or help brainstorm on use of methods. So, post below or send me a message if you want to share.