
Ask HN: How to get ideas? - oldmanstan
Just wondering how you go about cultivating ideas.<p>Do you, for instance, have a routine where you sit down and think about new ideas every so often? Or do you just wait for one to hit you?<p>How do you get your ideas? (Also, please note if you think you're effective in how you do so. Have you had - and implemented - great ideas?)
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sraquo
There are two kind of ideas for startups:

1) There is a problem, and current solutions are ugly. Think how to fix it and
sell your fixture, and you have an idea. Many programmers when faced with some
problem will quickly solve it with some script/whatever magic and not even
consider that they could turn that solution into a service/product. How to get
such ideas: use more stuff, always look out for problems / poor experience.

2) Those ideas that start with "It'd be cool to do X". Think twitter. I've no
idea how to filter out good ideas of this form from bad ones, but with enough
iteration I think a lot of even dumb ideas can fly.

I've started game dev recently. <http://chopperdefense.com> is my first game.
I did not know what kind of gameplay or graphics I wanted when I started it.
There even were no helicopters in the game initially. But with enough
iterations I think I made a pretty decent game. While I was doing it I got a
lot more game ideas which I duly noted and also iterated on. "To a game
developer, everything looks like a game". Top idea in your mind, as PG says.

~~~
hasenj
Offtopic, but I can't find chopper defense in the app store, how come? (or is
it only for the iPad?)

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sraquo
Only iPad for now. Maybe I'll make it universal by the end of December, not
sure yet...

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jaysonelliot
The number one key to cultivating ideas is minimizing distractions.

Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up when you're in the
shower? It's because your mind has nothing to distract it.

When you're going from one place to another, turn off your MP3 player or car
stereo (if you're walking / driving). Put your phone on airplane mode so
you're not interrupted by texts and calls.

When you're at home, do one thing at a time. If you're doing the dishes, just
do the dishes. If you're talking with other people, just talk, don't put on
the TV in the background, turn off the radio.

Cultivate as much stimulus as possible overall - but do it one at a time. You
should watch the movies you like, read that books you find exciting, explore
just to explore. But you also have to take time to focus and just be.

The other important thing is to always have something to write on. Get
yourself a tiny notebook that can fit in a jeans pocket, and even a golf
pencil if it means you'll always carry it around. No idea is too small to jot
down - they all add up.

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wccrawford
I would have said exactly the opposite. The way to get random new ideas is to
pay attention to the world around you. Get our of your comfort zone.

However, if you're looking for useful idea, the solution is to have a problem.
And then fix it in a way that other people can benefit from. And then charge
them for it. They'll thank you.

~~~
jaysonelliot
Actually, I think you're saying the same thing. Most people's "comfort zone"
is staring at a smartphone, listening to music, watching TV, and playing video
games.

It's difficult to turn everything off and just go out in the world without
anything to entertain or distract you.

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bemmu
Start working on something tiny. Often while working on it you'll discover
that you're really already thinking forward, having ideas and fantasizing
about your next project.

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loumf
This classic book: "A Technique for Producing Ideas"

[http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Advertising-
Classi...](http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Advertising-Classics-
Library/dp/0071410945)

is short and sweet.

Bascially,

1\. ideas are novel combinations

2\. immerse yourself in information from many disciplines

3\. think of combinations

4\. Go away from it -- do something else

5\. An idea comes to you

6\. refine it

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TomorrowMars
Meditate. Be passionate. Think for yourself. Read fundamental books. By
fundamental I mean "important", not "full of religious bigotry". I got a lot
of ideas from Frank Herbert's "Dune", for example. Do things. I mean dont just
use your lizard brain to constantly look for new input, dont follow what other
people are doing. Start your own pet project. No matter how small. Find the
smallest problem you can solve. Ideally a global one. But a local one works
too. Anything to get you working. Then the creative juices will flow.

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atomical
Why is there so much emphasis on finding something new when there are a lot of
successful businesses out there that you could copy and compete with?

~~~
nickfromseattle
It may have something to do with over valuing ideas, but I don't think HN has
that problem.

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c1sc0
Exercise. I'm not sure what it is about exercise (increased bloodflow to the
brain?) but whenever I catch myself not exercising enough my creativity also
tends to be at a low. I can really think a problem through when e.g. I'm
skiing or swimming.

Changing environments/motion. I find that I'm really creative when I'm
travelling (mostly by train, driving a car is too distracting and flying is
too shitty).

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wilhelm
Learn about how other people spend their work or leisure time. Spend a day in
their shoes. You'll see plenty of problems software could solve.

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bearwithclaws
Be sensitive to what you really want/need. If you pay enough attention, most
of the time, there won't be a products/services that 100% satisfy your own
want/need.

Write your idea down, start your sentence with "What if..."

Then try to forget about it. Great ideas tends to come back and haunt you
every day and night.

When they do, you know what to do (or find out how!).

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mindcrime
_Do you, for instance, have a routine where you sit down and think about new
ideas every so often? Or do you just wait for one to hit you?_

Sorta both. I don't exactly have a routine that's dedicated to "new idea
generation" but I have routines around reading and studying... and I find that
a lot of my ideas occur when I'm reading (whether reading a book, or a
website, or a magazine, whatever). So, I tend to read in bed before going to
sleep, and - a lot of times - after I put my book down and turn the light out,
some idea will come to mind. So I keep a notebook by my bed just for jotting
this stuff down.

The other scenario is when I go up to Barnes & Noble, order myself a nice
caffeinated beverage and sit back and read / listen to music / think of ideas.
I also keep a notebook with me on those occasions.

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joelg87
In my personal experience, I haven't deliberately forced ideas, however that
could potentially work.

One thing may be to become aware of when you have ideas - I've found I have my
best ideas when I'm not sat at my laptop.

The ideas for my two startups came when I built something for myself and found
that others wanted it too. These were little problems (at first).

I think a final important thing that comes to mind is that if you have even a
twinkle of an idea, then grab onto it with both hands, and work with it. My
latest app was a tiny idea and I developed it in just over a month and a half
into something of value and I've now just had my first customer. Work with the
ideas and eventually you'll find yourself swamped with things to build upon
that single idea.

Hope that helps.

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jeremyjarvis
I once attended a "creativity" workshop, and one of the tasks was coming up
with a solution for an everyday annoyance.

IIRC the process was _something_ along the lines of...

1) Decide on a task or something that you do regularly (e.g grocery shopping)
2) Detail all the steps involved in completing the task (e.g walking round the
store, finding items, comparing prices, putting items in cart, queueing up at
checkout etc etc) 3) Rate each one in terms of annoyance/difficulty level 4)
Start to brainstorm how the high annoyance steps could be easier.

I can't remember the exact steps - there was a bit more to it than that, but
as a team of 4 we had some pretty cool ideas after an hour.

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dcaldwell
I agree with _Rahul that ideas are born from cross-polination. I read a lot of
business books and blogs, but also read other stuff - novels, science, faith-
based, humor, etc. Most of my ideas come from combining something that I've
read from a business book/blog with something completely unrelated. Also,
something else that helps cross-polinations is traveling to developing
countries. Oftentimes, there are so many new experiences, points of view, and
ways of doing things there that it opens your mind.

To document my ideas, I just type them in Notes on my iPhone.

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__Rahul
The only thing standing between you and ideas is your own conscious mind. So
you need to find a way to make it go away. Try doodling. A lot. Let your mind
go and ideas will flow. Running, bicycling or skipping ropes - it could be any
activity. You'll know which one works with you only when you try.

Ideas are often born via cross-pollination. Do stuff and read books, beyond
your narrow field of expertise.

Internet/libraries are full of books about idea, creativity & thinking. You'll
have to do several iterations to find a routine that works for you.

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Soupy
Personally, I carry a small notebook with me and whenever I find myself having
difficulties with anything (whether it be finding a place to eat, the nearest
gas station, or remembering what I had to do at work) I try to consciously
think of how I could prevent running into the problem in the future. If an
idea comes to mind then simply write it down. The result is that you will find
your notebook will fill up very quickly and will become a resource for you
when you are attempting to start a new project.

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tiffani
I think some of my better ideas have come from just wanting to solve problems
--either mine or those of friends, family, or co-workers. Those ideas always
seem so much better than anything I just sit down and come up with based off
what I think would make a lot of money yet is a stupid idea fundamentally.
Plus, ideas that solve some problem seem as if they're easier to stick with
(for me, at least).

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Ataraxy
It is all about solving problems that people have. One great resource for this
in my opinion is to go to ehow.com and check out the thousands of articles
there in just about any topic. Each of them is an answer to someones question
or problem and could get your thoughts flowing.

It's also a really good place to start for people that are interested in
creating information products.

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crocowhile
Just make sure a little piece of your brain always think about it: that little
piece will then convert real life problems into problems to be solved or
solutions.

Walking 2h daily used to be my main creative time. Now that I live in a big
city is a bit more complicated to do.

Get a good note-taking app on your phone. Whenever you get an idea, write it
down there. I use catch.com.

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tstyle
A lot of my project ideas come on plane rides to or back from a nice long
vacation. Since there's no internet, I'd just sketch stuff out on a piece of
paper. If there's a cute hostess I'd use her to bounce ideas off of.

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geekytenny
I get ideas by naturally wanting things easy and believing others want things
easy too. So once i hit a difficulty, i start looking for ways to make things
easier for myself and others.

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jaxn
Ideally I look for problems instead of solutions.

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known
Look around for _who is selling what._

