There’s no question that ideas drive innovation, but they often come to us ‘in the moment’, and can sometimes serve more as a distraction than a stroke of creative genius.
We have recently created an “ideas board” in our office. It’s one whiteboard that everyone can see, where anyone can write down an idea at any time. Ideas don’t have to be sensible, or realistic (ours features various ideas for gaming apps, as well as a request for Netflix film recommendations), it’s just a shared place to post what's on your mind.
Now, we love technology, and we try lots of online tools to help us run Contactzilla, but we have to agree with technology writer, Farhad Manjoo, that nothing beats a good old fashioned whiteboard...
“Indeed, as technologically backward as they may seem, whiteboards are to Silicon Valley what legal pads are to lawyers, what Excel is to accountants, or what long sleeves are to magicians. They're an all-purpose tool of innovation, often the first place a product or company's vision is dreamed up and designed, and a constant huddling point for future refinement. And though many digital technologies have attempted to unseat the whiteboard, the humble pre-electronic surface can't be beat.”
Although ideas aren’t always realistic, or even feasible, they often get us all talking and thinking, which is a great way to shake us up and refresh our minds a little.
To follow this workplace hack, dedicate a whiteboard in your office to ideas and encourage your team to share their ideas as they come to them. If nothing else, the ideas board will serve as a great conversation piece and get your team communicating, thinking differently and having a laugh.
**How to do you inspire creativity in your office? **