I’d like to share a simple idea with you, which will help you find answers to even your most frustrating challenges, whilst stimulating your creativity across the board.
The idea came from none other than Apple’s Chief of Industrial Design, Sir Jonathan Ive.
Apple’s Jony Ive and the importance of words
Sir Jony was on a UK children’s show a while ago, talking about design. The presenter asked him how he would start off, if he was asked to design a lunch box – as this was a task set for the kids.
Immediately, Jony responded my saying:
I’d be careful not to use the word ‘box’. It comes with a bunch of ideas that could be quite narrow, because you think of a box as being square and like a cube. We’re quite careful about the words we use, because they can determine the path that we go down.
Words and direction
The words we use have a huge impact on the direction of our thoughts. Whenever you find yourself working on an answer to a tough challenge, it pays to spend a little time reframing the question you’re asking, to ensure it isn’t predetermining an unproductive channel of thought.
Problem solving tip
Is there a challenge facing you right now, which you have been struggling to resolve?
If there is, try writing it down differently. Look at the words you have been using and replace any limiting words with ones, which open up new possibilities. Also, remove any words from your original question, which were directing your thinking down unproductive paths.