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A Technique for Producing Ideas - The Simple Five-Step Formula Anyone Can Use to Be More Creative in Business and in Life!
This is THE classic on creative thinking, written with the clarity, knowledge, and experience of a skilled advertising man. A Technique For Producing Ideas is a step-by-step technique for sparking creativity in advertising or ANY other field.
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
399 people are currently reading
7839 people want to read
About the author
James Webb Young
16 books23 followersJames Webb Young (1886-1973) was an American advertising executive who became First Chairman of The Advertising Council.
He was inducted in the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.
Young received many honors and awards including the Advertising Man of the Year Award in 1946.
He was inducted in the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.
Young received many honors and awards including the Advertising Man of the Year Award in 1946.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
February 23, 2013
The basic argument of this book is very simple: "ideas" are new combinations of old elements— facts, images, etc.— and that a creative person is one who is readily able to see relationships between such elements and so find new ways of combining them. The "technique" Young describes is also very simple, and rather common-sense: learn as much as you can, both about the specific thing you are working on and the world in general (because more facts in your head equals more possible relationships and combinations); think about all of it for a while, then take your mind off of it completely and do something else, and an idea will probably emerge as if out of nowhere; and finally, edit— revise, sharpen, and develop the idea until it works for the purpose at hand. The simplicity of that is, I guess, a good thing, but it also doesn't strike me so much as a "technique" as, well, being in the world. Young does suggest the use of index cards (or, presumably, an electronic equivalent) for recording facts and keeping them straight, which is probably a useful reminder of the importance of notes. I also very much liked his emphasis, reiterated at the end of the book, on the importance of general knowledge and a broad range of interests; you can't limit yourself to learning only what is practically useful for you, because you don't actually have any idea of what that will be. But I did wish for something just a little more concrete for putting all of this into practice.
That said, there are also a lot of books out there of this kind these days, and this one is rare in that it never gives you that icky feeling that comes with reading a self-help book. There's no pseudo-spiritual language, no attempt to boost your self esteem, and in general no BS; it's just "here is what is going on in your brain anyway, and here are some things you can do to make that happen more often."
That said, there are also a lot of books out there of this kind these days, and this one is rare in that it never gives you that icky feeling that comes with reading a self-help book. There's no pseudo-spiritual language, no attempt to boost your self esteem, and in general no BS; it's just "here is what is going on in your brain anyway, and here are some things you can do to make that happen more often."
August 10, 2021
Do you wish that authors would stop padding their stories and ideas with unnecessary bumpf? That lovely word originated in WWII when English soldiers were overwhelmed with unnecessary printed materials, and used them as toilet paper or "bum fodder." Even excellent and important books would be unarguably better in a slim volume, rather than a massive tome.
A Technique for Producing Ideas, supremely bumpf-free, is just such a volume, elegant and beautiful in its simplicity, and profoundly true. James Webb Young, an ad man of the 1940s, put some thoughts about creativity together on a Sunday afternoon for a Monday advertising class at the University of Chicago. Retired to New Mexico by 1960 (because his name was unsuitable for go-go era ad men*), he turned those thoughts into a book. It became a McGraw Hill Advertising Classic, enduring forewords by two great ad men of later eras, Bill Bernbach and Keith Reinhard (whose names were suitable), and it remains proudly in-print to this day.
Even now, when ideas are associated with tech entrepreneurs rather than ad men, and everything is tested ad nauseam by Google and Facebook, the truth of his five simple steps is more valuable than ever. For months now, I have been stuck on an article about consciousness in artificial intelligence. I started writing it on Medium, but stopped. Reading about step three of the technique, I jumped up from the kitchen table, found some 3 x 5 index cards, as Mr. Webb suggested, and distilled the very powerful essence of my article in thirty minutes.
This book may change my life. Let it change yours!
* I made that up about his name, but I stand by it.
A Technique for Producing Ideas, supremely bumpf-free, is just such a volume, elegant and beautiful in its simplicity, and profoundly true. James Webb Young, an ad man of the 1940s, put some thoughts about creativity together on a Sunday afternoon for a Monday advertising class at the University of Chicago. Retired to New Mexico by 1960 (because his name was unsuitable for go-go era ad men*), he turned those thoughts into a book. It became a McGraw Hill Advertising Classic, enduring forewords by two great ad men of later eras, Bill Bernbach and Keith Reinhard (whose names were suitable), and it remains proudly in-print to this day.
Even now, when ideas are associated with tech entrepreneurs rather than ad men, and everything is tested ad nauseam by Google and Facebook, the truth of his five simple steps is more valuable than ever. For months now, I have been stuck on an article about consciousness in artificial intelligence. I started writing it on Medium, but stopped. Reading about step three of the technique, I jumped up from the kitchen table, found some 3 x 5 index cards, as Mr. Webb suggested, and distilled the very powerful essence of my article in thirty minutes.
This book may change my life. Let it change yours!
* I made that up about his name, but I stand by it.
March 9, 2013
A short book with a big idea--that's it's possible to follow a step by step process in generating and developing ideas. Young is an advertiser, and the book is aimed primarily at advertisers, but it's useful for anyone in a creative field who wants to focus on the process of coming up with ideas.
The process is five-step: 1)gather material for ideas; 2) chew on the material to look at relationships; 3)put everything aside to let the material percolate; 4) wait for the idea to come up; 5) fit the idea to the real-world circumstances.
This technique is simple but effective, and is worthwhile for anyone struggling to get ideas. It's like a checklist you can use to put the idea back on track--have you researched enough material? examined the idea from all angles? put things aside for a while for the subconscious to work?
If you're stuck, read this nice little book, and try the technique.
The process is five-step: 1)gather material for ideas; 2) chew on the material to look at relationships; 3)put everything aside to let the material percolate; 4) wait for the idea to come up; 5) fit the idea to the real-world circumstances.
This technique is simple but effective, and is worthwhile for anyone struggling to get ideas. It's like a checklist you can use to put the idea back on track--have you researched enough material? examined the idea from all angles? put things aside for a while for the subconscious to work?
If you're stuck, read this nice little book, and try the technique.
Read
August 11, 2011I don't believe you could spend thirty more productive minutes if you lived to be 100 years old. This book was initially developed for and by advertising minds who often believe they have sole claim to practical creativity. This method is applicable to creativity and problem solving in virtually every situation. Describing five simple steps, James Webb Young has crafted an easy-to learn, simple process that you can apply to spark creativity. You will have to put in some effort, and some of that work is mind numbing. One of the important points in the book is the case Mr. Webb makes for continuing your education. That education can be highly structured, like continuing education, or loosely structured, as in travel or simply stepping away from your computer to observe what is going on around you. What makes this book so very special is its brevity and simplicity. Einstein said "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler." You can find no better illustration of this than this book.
March 20, 2014
"An idea is nothing more than a new combination of old elements."
Five steps to producing ideas:
1. read/watch/absorb wide variety of subjects (both general and specific to your subject)
2. think about the stuff you read about
3. stop thinking about it all for a while; let it all marinate subconsciously
4. idea! (write em all down, even if you think they're shit or too abstract)
5. do work
Don't read about advertising, read about social sciences/psychology.
Five steps to producing ideas:
1. read/watch/absorb wide variety of subjects (both general and specific to your subject)
2. think about the stuff you read about
3. stop thinking about it all for a while; let it all marinate subconsciously
4. idea! (write em all down, even if you think they're shit or too abstract)
5. do work
Don't read about advertising, read about social sciences/psychology.
July 19, 2020
Love that it is short and to the point.
The central tenet is that ideas are just combinations of elements. From adverstising Bernbach extracts the following universal steps to generating ideas:
1. Research: Specific research on the topic and general subjects research
2. Actively think about what you absorbed and how it can be combined
3. Step away. Let your subconscious do the work while you engage in other activities.
4. Idea! Eureka!
5. Get to work, ask for feedback, build on it.
The central tenet is that ideas are just combinations of elements. From adverstising Bernbach extracts the following universal steps to generating ideas:
1. Research: Specific research on the topic and general subjects research
2. Actively think about what you absorbed and how it can be combined
3. Step away. Let your subconscious do the work while you engage in other activities.
4. Idea! Eureka!
5. Get to work, ask for feedback, build on it.
April 25, 2021
Everyone knows what the book tells you, but only a few can really execute.
February 5, 2021
Pound for pound and page for page this has got to be probably one of the best books I've ever read in terms of insights and ideas that it's generated for me. I often mark with a dot on the top right of the top left corner of a page an interesting point which I read on that page. And although this is a very small book this book was practically littered with dots and underlined sections. The book is essentially about the process with which we can go about producing ideas. In a nutshell James Webb young talks about having a very diverse universe with which too collide and contrast and compare and crunch ideas together , another book calls it the Medici effect, but essentially a platform where you're able to hold desperate ideas and let those ideas brew together in a juicy hot Stew. Once you give those ideas time it's important to be able to set up a system that allows you to capture the key insights from them but also be able to go back to those key insights with ease and start to make correlations. The next bit is interesting in that it suggests and encourages us to step away from the idea and let our subconscious take over. One thing I've always found absolutely fascinating is the tendency I have to generate ideas when I'm reading some boring book which doesn't really interest me and my subconscious starts working away and starts to create connections and starts to ferment the ideas. Once that Eureka moment happens and those connections are made you essentially have the idea in principle and then it's about activating and really bringing that idea to life with some sort of pragmatic and practical implementation of it. One of the truly fascinating realizations in the book is the example of the kaleidoscope which James Webb young introduces. He simply says that a kaleidoscope is like this hothouse of idea production. You put a kaleidoscope spoke to your eyes and twist a couple of times and the different colored chips of see through plastic and glass inside form beautiful new patterns. Essentially that's what new ideas are. A re framing and a re formatting of previously existing patterns of chips but see now through a different point of view and a different lens. I thought this is an absolutely astonishing and beautiful analogy to describe the production of ideas. Anyway enough talking for me here are some of the best bits from the book:
The speculator is the speculative type of person. And the distinguishing characteristic of this type according to pereto, is that he is constantly preoccupied with the possibilities of new combinations.
Particular bits of knowledge or nothing. They are made up of what doctor Robert Hutchins once called rapidly aging facts. Principles and method are everything.
An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.
To a mind which is quick to see relationships several ideas will occur, fruitful for advertising, about this use of words as symbols. Is this then, why the change of one word in a headline can make as much as 50% difference in advertising response?
Consequently the habit of mind which leads to a search for relationships between facts becomes of the highest importance in the production of ideas.
That by no possibility can one of them be taken before the proceeding was completed, if an idea is to be produced. The first of these steps is for the mind to gather its raw material.
In advertising an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge about life and events.
The construction of an advertisement is the construction of a new pattern in this kaleidoscopic world in which we live. The more of the elements of that world which are stored away in that pattern making machine, the mind, the more the chances are increased for the production of new and striking combinations or ideas.
And her a strange element comes in . This is that fact sometimes yield up there meaning quicker when you do not scan them to directly, too literally, . You remember the winged Messenger whose wings could only be seen when glanced at obliquely? It is like that. In fact it is almost like listening for the meaning instead of looking at it. When creative people are in this stage of the process they get their reputation for absent mindedness. As you go through this part of the process two things will happen. First little tentative or partial ideas will come to. Put these down on paper immediately. The mind to has a second wind.
In the third stage you make absolutely no effort of any direct nature. You drop the whole subject and put the problem out of your mind as completely as you can.
And it was while I was folding up that copy of the eagle and putting it away for later reading that something came into my mind. I have had this happen before: I can puzzle over a thing until I am in a state of utter confusion, give it up and then suddenly have the answer leap into my mind without any apparent reason at all.
In summary here the five stages of the book. First the gathering of the raw materials both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials which come from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge. Second the working over of these materials in your mind. Third the incubating stage where you let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis. 4th the actual birth of the idea, the eureka I have at stage. And finally 5th the final shaping and development of the idea to practical usefulness.
but you can also enormously expand your experience vicariously. It was the author of Saad Harker I believe who had never been to South America yet wrote a good adventure book about it. I'm convinced however that you gather this vicarious experience best not when you are boning up for it for an immediate purpose, but when you're pursuing it as an end in itself.
still another point I might elaborate on a little is about words. We tend to forget that words are themselves ideas. They might be called ideas in a state of suspended animation. When the words are mastered the ideas tend to come alive again.
The speculator is the speculative type of person. And the distinguishing characteristic of this type according to pereto, is that he is constantly preoccupied with the possibilities of new combinations.
Particular bits of knowledge or nothing. They are made up of what doctor Robert Hutchins once called rapidly aging facts. Principles and method are everything.
An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.
To a mind which is quick to see relationships several ideas will occur, fruitful for advertising, about this use of words as symbols. Is this then, why the change of one word in a headline can make as much as 50% difference in advertising response?
Consequently the habit of mind which leads to a search for relationships between facts becomes of the highest importance in the production of ideas.
That by no possibility can one of them be taken before the proceeding was completed, if an idea is to be produced. The first of these steps is for the mind to gather its raw material.
In advertising an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge about life and events.
The construction of an advertisement is the construction of a new pattern in this kaleidoscopic world in which we live. The more of the elements of that world which are stored away in that pattern making machine, the mind, the more the chances are increased for the production of new and striking combinations or ideas.
And her a strange element comes in . This is that fact sometimes yield up there meaning quicker when you do not scan them to directly, too literally, . You remember the winged Messenger whose wings could only be seen when glanced at obliquely? It is like that. In fact it is almost like listening for the meaning instead of looking at it. When creative people are in this stage of the process they get their reputation for absent mindedness. As you go through this part of the process two things will happen. First little tentative or partial ideas will come to. Put these down on paper immediately. The mind to has a second wind.
In the third stage you make absolutely no effort of any direct nature. You drop the whole subject and put the problem out of your mind as completely as you can.
And it was while I was folding up that copy of the eagle and putting it away for later reading that something came into my mind. I have had this happen before: I can puzzle over a thing until I am in a state of utter confusion, give it up and then suddenly have the answer leap into my mind without any apparent reason at all.
In summary here the five stages of the book. First the gathering of the raw materials both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials which come from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge. Second the working over of these materials in your mind. Third the incubating stage where you let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis. 4th the actual birth of the idea, the eureka I have at stage. And finally 5th the final shaping and development of the idea to practical usefulness.
but you can also enormously expand your experience vicariously. It was the author of Saad Harker I believe who had never been to South America yet wrote a good adventure book about it. I'm convinced however that you gather this vicarious experience best not when you are boning up for it for an immediate purpose, but when you're pursuing it as an end in itself.
still another point I might elaborate on a little is about words. We tend to forget that words are themselves ideas. They might be called ideas in a state of suspended animation. When the words are mastered the ideas tend to come alive again.
September 4, 2012
Good to have/read.
My favourite part of the book or booklet (because it's so short) is the suggestion to get "those little 3 x 5 ruled white cards and use them to write down the items of specific information as you gather them. If you do this, one item to a card, after a while you can begin to classify them by sections of your subject."
I also liked his likening of ideas to atolls (works for icebergs too but atolls sound cuter), where you only see only the brilliant idea at the top but not the strategy, planning and other idea-building processes beneath it.
That's it.
Edit: Reading this article on Brainpickings about Young's book should suffice. It's (almost) as good as reading the book itself.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...
My favourite part of the book or booklet (because it's so short) is the suggestion to get "those little 3 x 5 ruled white cards and use them to write down the items of specific information as you gather them. If you do this, one item to a card, after a while you can begin to classify them by sections of your subject."
I also liked his likening of ideas to atolls (works for icebergs too but atolls sound cuter), where you only see only the brilliant idea at the top but not the strategy, planning and other idea-building processes beneath it.
That's it.
Edit: Reading this article on Brainpickings about Young's book should suffice. It's (almost) as good as reading the book itself.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...
July 13, 2015
Short and incredibly to the point. Loved it. I took a course in creativity at UCLA which was 10 weeks long and frankly, this book encapsulated the 10-week course well.
I've posted on amazon a review but basically where I think people have issues with this is in the incubation phase - we have a hard time just letting go and "allowing" good ideas to come to us. I know I struggle with this part, and I know I'm not alone.
But when I can let go, I'm amazed and it's always a situation of taking the shower, or traveling somewhere, or doing something repetitious or mundane - when the "a ha!" will arrive, almost fully formed and ready to be acted on.
I've posted on amazon a review but basically where I think people have issues with this is in the incubation phase - we have a hard time just letting go and "allowing" good ideas to come to us. I know I struggle with this part, and I know I'm not alone.
But when I can let go, I'm amazed and it's always a situation of taking the shower, or traveling somewhere, or doing something repetitious or mundane - when the "a ha!" will arrive, almost fully formed and ready to be acted on.
August 30, 2018
it was a fun quick read .. it helped me figure out the process of finding ideas .. and ever since my creativity process is much faster
August 3, 2013
A very short and concise book on how to produce ideas. One can even consider it as a long article.
The author talks about two main principles behind generating new ideas ( (a) an idea is a combination of old components, and (b) the capacity to bring old elements to a new one depends on the ability to see relationships) and introduces five methods to achieve that.
Those methods are not surprising. You probably heard about them and may even perform some of them regularly. What *might* be different from your usual practice is that he gives a specific 5-step procedure to do so. And he claims that it works.
Does it? You should know that this is not a scientific book. James Webb Young did not conduct any scientific study on how creativity works. There is no experiments, there is no randomized trial, no statistical significance, nothing. He wrote the book based on his own experiences and introspection. You should keep that in mind.
Does his method work for everyone? I don't know. Does it make sense? Based on my experience, I am inclined to say so. This is again not a proof, but I would suggest you to take a look at the book. Reading it takes less than an hour of your time. It might be worth it.
The author talks about two main principles behind generating new ideas ( (a) an idea is a combination of old components, and (b) the capacity to bring old elements to a new one depends on the ability to see relationships) and introduces five methods to achieve that.
Those methods are not surprising. You probably heard about them and may even perform some of them regularly. What *might* be different from your usual practice is that he gives a specific 5-step procedure to do so. And he claims that it works.
Does it? You should know that this is not a scientific book. James Webb Young did not conduct any scientific study on how creativity works. There is no experiments, there is no randomized trial, no statistical significance, nothing. He wrote the book based on his own experiences and introspection. You should keep that in mind.
Does his method work for everyone? I don't know. Does it make sense? Based on my experience, I am inclined to say so. This is again not a proof, but I would suggest you to take a look at the book. Reading it takes less than an hour of your time. It might be worth it.
March 24, 2015
"Words being symbols of ideas, we can collect ideas by collecting words."
January 23, 2024
A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young
This book acts as a guide for those people who are just beginner in the area of creativity. He assures them that that coming up with an idea is a process, not an accident. According to Young “thought is actually a series of steps that can be described, and taught and repeated”. Foreword note depicts that the quality of the ideas would be the result of all the forces in your life that have played on you, including your genes. However the key point lies in the production of relevant and dramatic ideas. Author quotes Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein that although they agree that knowledge is good for creativity but that knowledge must be digested and renewed in order to make new combinations.
The book explain this journey chapter-wise that how process of idea formation is carried out.
1- “The Formula of Experience”.
• First, the formula is so simple to state that few who hear it really believe in it.
• Second, while simple to state, it actually requires the hardest kind of intellectual work to follow, so that not all who accept it use it.
2- “The Pareto Theory which talks about two types of people “speculator and rentier”. Speculator is a term used in context of speculative while latter term is translated into English as stock-holder who is manipulated by speculator.Ask yourself what you want to become?
3-Training the Mind
What are the means of developing ideas? This chapter talks about two important things while producing ideas.
• Principles
• Methods
4-Combining Old Elements
An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements. The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships. To some minds each fact is a separate bit of knowledge.To others it is a link in a chain of knowledge. It has relationships and similarities. It is not so much a fact as it is an illustration of a general law applying to a whole series of facts. Words as symbols of emotional experiences. To a mind which is quick to see relationships several ideas will occur, fruitful for advertising, about this use of words as symbols.
5-Ideas Are New Combinations
This section talks about two principles:
I. An idea is a new combination
II. The ability to make new combinations is heightened by an ability to see relationships
To produce idea, the brain uses a technique which consists of five steps. The first of these steps is for the mind to gather its raw material. Gathering raw material in a real way is not as simple as it sounds. It is such a terrible chore that we are constantly trying to dodge it. The materials which must be gathered are of two kinds: they are specific and they are general. Specific materials are those relating to the product and the people to whom you propose to sell it. In advertising an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge about life and events.
6-The Mental Digestive Process
It is the process of masticating these materials, as you would food that you are preparing for digestion. As you go through this part of the process two things will happen. First, little tentative or partial ideas will come to you. Put these down on paper. The second thing that you will get very tired of trying to fit your puzzle together. So when you reach this third stage in the production of an idea, drop the problem completely and turn to whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions? In the first stage you have gathered your food. In the second you have masticated it well.
Now the digestive process is on.
7-Constantly Thinking About It
Out of nowhere the Idea will appear. It will come to you when you are least expecting it. This is the way ideas come: after you have stopped straining for them and have passed through a period of rest and relaxation from the search. And when you do you usually find that it is not quite the marvelous child it seemed when you first gave birth to it. Do not make the mistake of holding your idea close to your chest at this stage. Submit it to the criticism of the judicious.
8- The Final Stage
In this stage you have to take your little newborn idea out into the world of reality. You should be open to any kind of criticism. You will find that a good idea has, as it were, self-expanding qualities.
This book acts as a guide for those people who are just beginner in the area of creativity. He assures them that that coming up with an idea is a process, not an accident. According to Young “thought is actually a series of steps that can be described, and taught and repeated”. Foreword note depicts that the quality of the ideas would be the result of all the forces in your life that have played on you, including your genes. However the key point lies in the production of relevant and dramatic ideas. Author quotes Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein that although they agree that knowledge is good for creativity but that knowledge must be digested and renewed in order to make new combinations.
The book explain this journey chapter-wise that how process of idea formation is carried out.
1- “The Formula of Experience”.
• First, the formula is so simple to state that few who hear it really believe in it.
• Second, while simple to state, it actually requires the hardest kind of intellectual work to follow, so that not all who accept it use it.
2- “The Pareto Theory which talks about two types of people “speculator and rentier”. Speculator is a term used in context of speculative while latter term is translated into English as stock-holder who is manipulated by speculator.Ask yourself what you want to become?
3-Training the Mind
What are the means of developing ideas? This chapter talks about two important things while producing ideas.
• Principles
• Methods
4-Combining Old Elements
An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements. The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships. To some minds each fact is a separate bit of knowledge.To others it is a link in a chain of knowledge. It has relationships and similarities. It is not so much a fact as it is an illustration of a general law applying to a whole series of facts. Words as symbols of emotional experiences. To a mind which is quick to see relationships several ideas will occur, fruitful for advertising, about this use of words as symbols.
5-Ideas Are New Combinations
This section talks about two principles:
I. An idea is a new combination
II. The ability to make new combinations is heightened by an ability to see relationships
To produce idea, the brain uses a technique which consists of five steps. The first of these steps is for the mind to gather its raw material. Gathering raw material in a real way is not as simple as it sounds. It is such a terrible chore that we are constantly trying to dodge it. The materials which must be gathered are of two kinds: they are specific and they are general. Specific materials are those relating to the product and the people to whom you propose to sell it. In advertising an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge about life and events.
6-The Mental Digestive Process
It is the process of masticating these materials, as you would food that you are preparing for digestion. As you go through this part of the process two things will happen. First, little tentative or partial ideas will come to you. Put these down on paper. The second thing that you will get very tired of trying to fit your puzzle together. So when you reach this third stage in the production of an idea, drop the problem completely and turn to whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions? In the first stage you have gathered your food. In the second you have masticated it well.
Now the digestive process is on.
7-Constantly Thinking About It
Out of nowhere the Idea will appear. It will come to you when you are least expecting it. This is the way ideas come: after you have stopped straining for them and have passed through a period of rest and relaxation from the search. And when you do you usually find that it is not quite the marvelous child it seemed when you first gave birth to it. Do not make the mistake of holding your idea close to your chest at this stage. Submit it to the criticism of the judicious.
8- The Final Stage
In this stage you have to take your little newborn idea out into the world of reality. You should be open to any kind of criticism. You will find that a good idea has, as it were, self-expanding qualities.
November 18, 2018
It's pretty rare for a book to combine exactly the right length with exactly the right amount of elaboration. This does just that. It's short, precise and to the point, without skipping any necessary details. It's also written in that earlier U.S. style that has since been abandoned, but combines the modern crispness of writing with a more sophisticated breadth of references than you'll find in some boring modern business book which inevitably includes stories about Steve Jobs and implausible comparisons between Napoleon and a modern CEO. But I digress...
As for the technique for producing ideas that the book is about, it actually works!
As for the technique for producing ideas that the book is about, it actually works!
Read
February 26, 2019*Idea: a new combination of old elements*
Five PRACTICAL steps:
1) Gathering of raw materials - both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials which from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge.
2) Working over of these materials in your mind.
3) Incubating stage, let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis.
4) The actual birth of the idea, "I have it" stage.
5) Final shaping and development of this idea to practical usefulness.
A practical classic book that I highly recommend you to read.
Five PRACTICAL steps:
1) Gathering of raw materials - both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials which from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge.
2) Working over of these materials in your mind.
3) Incubating stage, let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis.
4) The actual birth of the idea, "I have it" stage.
5) Final shaping and development of this idea to practical usefulness.
A practical classic book that I highly recommend you to read.
February 25, 2020
Livro pequeno, mas com conteúdo riquíssimo sobre a produção de ideias. É muito bom saber que a criatividade não é restrita a alguns talentosos. Se seguir os 5 passos em ordem, certamente algo de muito útil vai nascer.
August 27, 2024
It was fine.
It didn't give me a whole lot, most of the points in this book were kind of obvious. But it was short and well written.
I can imagine some people getting a lot more out of this book than me
It didn't give me a whole lot, most of the points in this book were kind of obvious. But it was short and well written.
I can imagine some people getting a lot more out of this book than me
September 12, 2024
Combine to create
A great little book about coming up with new ideas.
For anyone who are annoyed with a lack of creativity this little books explains concisely what makes ideas spawn in everyone's head - including their's.
A great little book about coming up with new ideas.
For anyone who are annoyed with a lack of creativity this little books explains concisely what makes ideas spawn in everyone's head - including their's.
November 18, 2024
I thought this book would help with ideation and techniques for innovation, instead it just explained what an idea was and how sometimes it’s best to sleep on it/distract yourself and an idea will come. Honestly the most ridiculous book, don’t waste your time or money 😂
June 23, 2025
You can read it in one sitting. But it's a nice reminder that ideas don't just appear out of thin air, unless you to the hard work first.
There are only 5 steps to the process. It's nothing new or revolutionary. Just a reminder that ideas take time.
There are only 5 steps to the process. It's nothing new or revolutionary. Just a reminder that ideas take time.
August 1, 2022
Short and sweet. A prescriptive approach to digesting and synthesizing information to come up with new and creative ideas. Worth a read.
April 19, 2023
the best books synthesize what you've already thought about in a great way. this one did that.
the notion that ideas are combinations and relationships of previous facts and elements was something i picked up in the book 'how to take smart notes'.
this formalized the definition and gave an abstract (yet practical) method to generate ideas.
this book explains the principles and method of idea generation in a direct, concise way.
good vibes
the notion that ideas are combinations and relationships of previous facts and elements was something i picked up in the book 'how to take smart notes'.
this formalized the definition and gave an abstract (yet practical) method to generate ideas.
this book explains the principles and method of idea generation in a direct, concise way.
good vibes
May 5, 2025
Incredible, simple and a must read for creatives. Though it is directed towards advertising it lays out a fantastically straightforward approach to finding ideas and expanding your mind
March 25, 2022
Concise book. Pleasant in its simplicity. Could be read in an hour or two. Seems like a method that holds up.
October 11, 2024
1 sitting read, insightful and makes sense. Good to have on the shelf
May 21, 2025
It's a rare pleasure to find so many insights in such a short book. A modern reader can't help but notice the stark contrast between A Technique for Producing Ideas and most modern books, which might have a few paragraphs' worth of insights, but yet always seem to be fluffed and padded out to at least 200-300 pages.
The author gives aw... [see the rest on my book review site.]
The author gives aw... [see the rest on my book review site.]
January 15, 2023
Can tell from my experience so far, this "technique" makes a lot of sense and could work. Using it consciously, for my field, will be challenging.
July 7, 2020
A very short book but not a quick read although easily read multiple times. It is a book for creatives, specifically advertising professionals, on how to generate ideas, but I say it is a book for problem solvers to generate solutions. The process is boiled down to 5 steps and going through the steps I thought to multiple times that "yes, that's exactly how I got the idea to . . .".
One of my favorite quotes in the book in Chapter 10:
Of course, if you consider that your education was finished when you left college, and wouldn't be caught dead with a copy of say, one of Jane Austen's novels under your pillow, go no farther. . ..
But the principle of constantly expanding your experience, both personally and vicariously, does matter tremendously in any idea-producing job. Make no mistake about it.
One of my favorite quotes in the book in Chapter 10:
Of course, if you consider that your education was finished when you left college, and wouldn't be caught dead with a copy of say, one of Jane Austen's novels under your pillow, go no farther. . ..
But the principle of constantly expanding your experience, both personally and vicariously, does matter tremendously in any idea-producing job. Make no mistake about it.
May 17, 2020
It was a very nice quick read. I really enjoyed it. The book has some nice and interesting points which will definitely be useful.
Recommend:))
Recommend:))
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