There's a few things I'm itching to talk about.

YOUR FIRST IDEA

‍In a 1961 experiment, researchers tasked participants with generating a list of ideas to solve a creative problem in five minutes. Then the researchers filtered the ideas through a rating and evaluation criteria. The results showed that the ideas listed during the second half, were significantly better than those from the first. Also, there was a correlation between the top ranking ideas coming from the participants who gave the most responses.<sup>

‍</sup>The phenomenon suggests that the mind first explores the most obvious solutions before delving into more innovative or less conventional ideas. This is the danger of gravitating toward the first idea that pops up in your head. It denies you the opportunity to find more creative solutions. Innovation does not occur at the beginning of the creative process. It’s the end result. Move beyond the first batch of ideas so more novel ideas can materialize. Your best ideas are often your last ideas.

When you think you’ve reached the end of your creative thinking process, push through and think some more. Most creators underestimate the value of persistence in their creative journey. Creative geniuses know that their best ideas painfully lie on the other side of what’s obvious. This is the true definition of thinking outside the box.

‍CREATIVE CLIFF ILLUSION

‍Brian Lucas, a professor of organizational behavior, conducted eight studies on people’s creative process. He started the experiments by asking the participants to predict how their levels of creativity change over time. They predicted their creativity would decline, but the results revealed their output was more creative over time. Brian calls this the creative-cliff illusion, the misconception people have that creativity decreases over time, even though it tends to rise.<sup>

‍</sup>Brian challenges the assumption that our best ideas stem from our freshest thinking. He advocates being patient with your creative thought process to give your mind time to let your best ideas emerge. Don’t give in to the pressure of cutting your creative process short. Great ideas come to those who persevere.

‍EINSTELLUNG EFFECT

‍In chess, a smothered mate is a popular checkmate strategy. It’s achieved by placing the knight where the checkmated king can’t move because it’s completely surrounded by its own pieces. Researchers Merim Bilali and Peter McLeod used this chess technique to conduct one of the most insightful studies on cognitive bias. They gave master chess players a board that had two potential solutions. They could either win by checkmating their opponent in five steps with the well-known smothered mate or, instead, they could win with a faster three-step solution. They challenged each player to checkmate their opponent as quickly as possible. Once the master players noticed the smothered mate was possible, they were incapable of noticing the quicker three-step strategy. They ignored a more efficient solution in favor of a more familiar solution. Then something shocking happened. They showed them a nearly identical board with one piece moved, making the smothered mate no longer an option. The players immediately recognized the faster solution.<sup>

‍</sup>This is the Einstellung effect, a psychological phenomenon where our preexisting knowledge stops us from seeing to the best solutions. This effect leaves us cognitively incapable of separating our previous experiences from the current problem we’re facing. In an attempt to be more efficient, our brain refers to past solutions instead of giving the current situation enough thought.

‍THE LAW OF THE INSTRUMENT

‍In 1966 psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” The law of the instrument^, otherwise known as Maslow’s hammer, refers to a major consequence of the Einstellung effect. People want to use the same tool for every problem.

One of the most harmful examples of the law of the instrument is the education system. It’s built as a one-size-fits-all hammer when there’s a wide variety of ways kids and teens learn. Instead, there should be an array of approaches to cater to their unique needs.

Someone with only a hammer will try to fix everything without seeking better alternatives. Over time, fixing things with a hammer becomes the norm, and norms are hard to escape. Don’t try to squeeze problems within the bounds of your skillset. Identify the skills required to execute the best solution.

Every problem is unique. Be open to using a different tool, method, or way of thinking to solve it. Knowing when our skills are applicable is useful because the law of the instrument can cause tunnel vision. Don’t always fall victim to your instincts. Your first draft, idea, or plan of action is probably not the best you can do. If you believe it is, put it to the test by painfully persisting along your creative journey beyond your predisposed limitations. That’s where creative geniuses find gold.