Generating ideas is at the core of intellectual work. Generating new ideas has become an important task in every field. Both the ability to generate ideas and the ability to keep generating ideas are crucial. Creating a system that facilitates these two tasks is highly valued in a society that values problem solving. Idea generation involves a series of steps. First, you access the knowledge and experiences stored in your temporal lobe. Next, you thoroughly consider how to solve the problem by combining this knowledge with collected data. The next step is the more difficult one: you forget what you’ve thought and let your subconscious decide how to combine the data. This involves a period of “sleeping” or “maturing.”
Next, we’ll look at specific strategies for retrieving ideas that have been set aside. New ideas are created by combining various thoughts and information about the problem in your head. These ideas only emerge through constant thinking. Observing people who consistently generate ideas reveals a wide variety of people. For example, it has been found that people who make a habit of walking are more likely to consistently generate ideas. This phenomenon only occurs when they have been continuously inputting information into their brains to solve problems before going for a walk. Without information input, ideas cannot be output. Some people say that their ideas come to them during coffee breaks. A closer look reveals something interesting. The caffeine in coffee has the effect of suppressing adenosine, a sleep-inducing substance. Coffee suppresses chemicals in the brain, increasing alertness and concentration. During office coffee breaks (when people are in a tense state concentrating on solving problems), a casual conversation with a colleague (at the moment they come across a clue to solving the problem) can synergistically combine with the stimulating effect of coffee, resulting in the birth of an idea.
Ideas can also be generated from combinations within an individual’s mind. However, recently, more attention has been focused on the mass production and high-quality of ideas produced by teams than on individual ideas. Teams have diverse information (knowledge and experience) that individuals do not have. Each individual has information in their own area of expertise. There is growing interest in systems that promote rationalization and efficiency, which allow people to exchange and share this information and increase productivity together. Ideas are born from the sum of knowledge and experience. Several ideas are needed to solve problems. The inspiration that generates new ideas requires deep and broad knowledge and experience. People think hard about the problem, combine various pieces of knowledge, and diligently repeat trial and error. When the tension of that hard work is released, inspiration is born. However, newly born ideas may not be usable as they are. It is also necessary to logically examine the ideas that have been generated and determine whether they are genuine. In the process of evaluating ideas, it is naturally necessary to determine whether they will lead to solving the problem.
