Its a cliché for a reason, but that doesnt make it any less realâor easy to do. Thinking outside the box is one of the most difficult challenges for any business, especially for established organizations. Patterns and systems have a way of taking over, which is why new talents fresh eyes are a briefly held superpower.
So, how can you break out of the routine and think creatively? In this post, well cover what it means to get outside the box, why its important, and some concrete steps for thinking with a creative mindset.
Have you ever felt stuck or trapped by the limits of your own thinking? Do creative solutions seem to evade you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We all get trapped in rigid thought patterns from time to time. The good news is there are proven techniques you can use to break free and expand your thinking.
In this article, we’ll explore what it means to “think outside the box” and why it’s so important for problem solving and innovation. You’ll discover 8 simple but powerful strategies to challenge assumptions, get unstuck, and unlock the full potential of your creativity.
What Does “Thinking Outside the Box” Really Mean?
The phrase “thinking outside the box” refers to creative, unconventional problem solving. When we think inside the box, we rigidly adhere to assumptions and habitual thought patterns. Outside the box thinking challenges those assumptions and looks for new perspectives.
As an example, imagine a challenge where you need to connect 9 dots arranged in a square using only 4 straight lines. If you think inside the box, focused only on the dots themselves, you’d struggle to find a solution. But by thinking outside the box, you can literally draw lines that extend beyond the square formed by the dots.
Thinking outside the box requires questioning assumptions and suspending judgment rather than automatically rejecting ideas that don’t fit the norm It allows you to identify bold new solutions that would otherwise be overlooked
Why Thinking Outside the Box Matters
Flexing your creative muscles isn’t just beneficial for artists and innovators. We all encounter problems and challenges every day that would benefit from fresh perspectives. Thinking outside the box allows you to:
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Solve problems more effectively: When you challenge assumptions and standard practices, you’re able to identify solutions that may have been overlooked.
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See opportunities A flexible, open mindset allows you to recognize opportunities that a rigid thinking would cause you to miss.
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Come up with creative ideas Thinking outside the box stimulates innovation and sparks new ideas across all facets of life.
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Gain valuable insights: Looking at situations from different angles gives you a fuller, more accurate understanding of the issue at hand.
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Avoid stagnation: Relying only on conventional thinking leads to stagnation and missed opportunities for growth.
Surveys show that fewer than 10% of people think creatively on a regular basis. Make yourself part of the creative minority and reap the rewards with these tips for thinking outside the box.
1. Dump Your Thoughts on Paper
We’ve all had that feeling of having so many thoughts swirling around that it’s hard to latch onto just one. Brain dumping helps declutter your mind so you can focus.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about your problem or challenge. Don’t self-edit or worry about spelling, grammar, or how logical it is. The goal is to get your ideas flowing without judgment.
Once you have everything down on paper, you can start making connections and digging into ideas with more clarity.
2. Question Your Assumptions
We often limit our own creative thinking by clinging to assumptions or established practices. Next time you’re stuck, ask yourself these questions:
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What limiting beliefs or assumptions am I making about this problem?
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Does it have to be solved this way? What if I tried a completely different angle?
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How would someone outside my field approach this?
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What’s the worst idea I can think of? Could any part of it spark a new approach?
Questioning assumptions opens up possibilities and allows you to see valuable new perspectives. Don’t limit yourself to what you think should work.
3. Set an Absurd Deadline
Nothing sparks last-minute creativity like an impossible deadline. Give yourself an absurdly short time frame to come up with solutions for a pesky problem.
Knowing you only have a ridiculously short window forces you to break free from overthinking and standard practices. You tap into more raw, instinctive creativity.
If the deadline is too short, extend it, but keep it uncomfortably tight. The pressure still yields creative results.
4. Approach the Problem From Various Angles
When a problem has you stumped, trying attacking it from different angles. Look at it from the perspective of different people or fields.
Ask yourself:
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How would a child solve this? Their innocent, unbridled creativity can spark new connections.
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What would a famous thinker or inventor do? Adopting their perspective shakes up your own patterns.
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If I had unlimited resources, what solutions would I try? Removing real-world constraints opens new doors.
Switching up your perspective allows you to inject fresh thinking into stubborn challenges.
5. Get Input from Outsiders
Other people’s perspectives can help shake us from rigid mindsets. Discuss the problem with friends, family members, colleagues, or even strangers who have no experience with the issue and ask their thoughts.
Listen with an open mind for left-field suggestions. When you solicit input from different backgrounds and perspectives, novel solutions emerge.
6. Try Inverting the Problem
Turn the problem on its head. If the challenge is to improve a process, ask how you would make the process worse. Coming at it backward can uncover new angles.
Ponder how you would solve the exact opposite of this problem, then see if any of those ideas apply. Inverting a problem jolts you from one-track thinking.
7. Be Playful
Sometimes the simplest way to jolt your mind is to be a little silly. Approach the problem with a spirit of play and experimentation.
Ask “what if” questions to imagine crazier scenarios, like “What if gravity didn’t exist? How would I approach this?” Suspend reality and practicality for a little while to get your creative juices flowing.
8. Sleep on It
When mulling a problem, take a break and come back to it later with fresh eyes. The brain continues to make connections in the background away from conscious focus.
Allowing time away from active thinking on an issue lets your mind make those hidden connections. You’ll return to the problem with new insight.
So take a hot shower, go for a walk, listen to music, or even take a nap. By disengaging consciously you enable the creative subconscious.
Trying just one of these techniques can bear fruit, but combining several will give you the best chance of thinking outside the box. Start small and work your way up to bigger creative challenges.
With consistent practice, you’ll train your mind to break free from one-track thinking and approach problems with greater flexibility and imagination. Thinking outside the box unlocks our vast creative potential that too often lies dormant. All it takes are small steps to tap into that hidden creative power and unleash it upon the world.
Choose your participants
Assemble a list of participants with diverse backgrounds and experience areas, so that your solutions are more likely to consider every angle of the problem.
Bring your group together using a shared digital space (dare we suggest, a mural perhaps?), where everyone can record their ideas and contribute, regardless of whether youâre in person, working remotely, or in a hybrid work environment. This has the added benefit of providing a lasting record of your meeting and any ideas and action items you may want to reference in the future.
Why it’s so difficult to think outside the box
Thinking outside the box can be difficult because it requires you to step out of your comfort zone and think in a creative and unconventional way. People tend to be creatures of habit and can become stuck in the same ways of thinking â these are the limiting patterns that we referenced above, and they can be difficult (nearly impossible) to avoid once you become part of an existing system.
Inside the box, itâs comfortable. But when you get out of the box, you find innovative solutions.
It also requires one to take risks and explore ideas that may not be immediately obvious or popular. It is often easier to rely on established methods and solutions, rather than to invest the time and effort into exploring new ideas.
Finally, itâs difficult to think out of the box because it requires a willingness to challenge your own thinking and re-examine established beliefs. This can be uncomfortable and even threatening, as it may require individuals and organizations to acknowledge that their current approach is not working and that they need to try something different.
Thinking outside the box requires a box: Michael Bahr at TEDxSUU
What does it mean to think outside the box?
When we talk about thinking outside the box, the real exercise and challenge is to step entirely out of those boundaries. The catalyst for real change exists in our ability to radically imagine new possibilities (even if they feel out of reach), to question the way things are, and to stretch the boundaries of what could be.
What is out-of-the-box design thinking?
Vital to the design thinking process, out-of-the-box thinking means reframing problems with a wider grasp of the design space. “Thinking outside of the box allows you to get rewards outside of your reach.”
Why is thinking outside the box important?
In innovation – the wheel and axle: Humans invented the wheel, later improving on a simple design to create the axle, plow, and later the engine. Thinking outside the box helps you to solve challenging problems. It allows you to look beyond a defined scope of relevance to find answers that would not exist otherwise.
Is thinking outside the box a real challenge?
However, thinking outside of the box can be a real challenge as we naturally develop patterns of thinking that are modeled on the repetitive activities and commonly accessed knowledge we surround ourselves with. Some years ago, an incident occurred where a truck driver tried to pass under a low bridge.
