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This weekend i ended up reading another book referred by Zhao ( “art of profitability”). The book " A technique for producing ideas", may seem more like a business book which makes a reader pump up his creative juices, give zillions of examples of how people are creative.

Surprisingly, this book does not tread that familiar path. Its a 48 page mind blowing book, where author James Webb Young with out adding an iota of pomposity, lays down 5 step approach to producing ideas.

Firstly, he talks of the principles that underlie any idea.
FIRST principle is that Ideas are nothing but a recombination of old ideas
SECOND principle is that the capacity to bring new elements from old combinations depends on the ability to see relationships

With these as 2 guiding principles, the author proposes a 5 step approach to producing ideas. As skeptical it might seem, the author proposes that the technique to produce ideas is as ubiquitous as production line in a Ford factory. Its called a " operative technique" .All one needs is a proper methodology to produce ideas. Here is the 5 Step approach:

Step 1 : Collect the raw material for the idea. There are 2 types of them, one being the context specific information and other being the generic information. Here one needs to have a mind map / index cards for the information that he collects. One of the reasons is that mere jotting down the stuff will not help one see the relationships and if one does no see them, there is no way ideas can come out

Step 2:Mental Digestion , where one looks at every fact, combine it with another thought , opinion, fact so that everything will come together as a neat jigsaw puzzle.In this process a lot of partial ideas, foolish and irrational thoughts, etc strike you. Hence it is important to represent these elements in whatever shape they are , in to your mindmap / thought process

Step 3: Sleep over it, Do anything but work on the idea

Step 4: If everything uptil Step 3 has been done right, Step 4, the moment of Eureka will automatically spring up at the oddest of moments

Step 5: Bringing an idea in to reality. This is the place most people might face a failure as typically there usually is a bridge between idea and reality . Hence one must be pragmatic in bringing the stuff to reality.

Though the above methodology sounds common sensical, it is the way the author presents these ideas and the emphasis he places on step 1 and step 3 , that made me think that possibly there is a formal method which one can practice and generate new ideas.

The biggest takeaway from the book is the emphasis it places on the ability to develop and see relationships in everything one reads , works and thinks. And here  I guess there is nothing better than using MindMaps to develop these skills.

Author also recommends four books for improving idea generating skills:
1. The art of thought - Graham Wallas.
2. Science and Method - H Poincare
3. The art of scientific investigation - W.I.B.Beveridge
4. Langauge in thought and action - Hayakawa