To create better ideas we need to change our thought patterns. Here are 5 ways to make you more creative.

要产生好的想法，我们需要改变我们的思维模式。这里有 5 个方法能帮助你拥有更多新想法。

Choose a new way to get to work.

换一种新的工作方式。

This may seem like a small thing， but by going out of your way to find new ways to get to work， you will see new things， think about new things and make new connections.

這看起来像是一件小事，但是想办法找到新的工作方式，你就会换个角度看到新的事物、思考新的事物，从而建立新的联系。

Ask children how they would solve a problem.

问问小孩子是怎么解决问题的。

Children are not stuck in their ways the same way as adults can be. To them everything is possible. Even if the solutions they present are not perfect or even practical， it is very likely that they will spark new ideas in your own head.

孩子不会像大人一样局限在同样的行为方式上。对他们来说，一切皆有可能。即使他们给出的解决方法算不上完美也不实用，但这些想法很有可能会激发你的大脑，有助你产生新的想法。

Pick a random magazine to read.

随便找本杂志看看。

Computer programmers have their own favorite magazines， and architects know which magazines are hot for architecture. The problem with this is that everybody will be subject to the same stream of ideas. By going into the newsagents and randomly picking a magazine that might be about knitting and then reading it， you will most likely find that the things you are thinking about have been solved already in another domain. Free ideas （except for the price of the magazine）！

程序员有他们自己喜爱的杂志，建筑师知道哪些杂志是建筑方面的前沿期刊。有一个问题是，大家都会受限于同一类型的想法。走进报亭，随便拿一本杂志阅读，也许这本杂志是有关针织的，但你很可能会发现你一直在思考的那些问题已然在其他领域得到了解决。这些想法都免费哦（当然你得为杂志买单）！

Force yourself to make connections.

强迫自己建立联系。

This is a little game you can play with yourself. Pick random things around your house （or out of a bag） and force yourself to make connections between the objects and the problem. Keep doing it for 10—15 minutes and see what happens.

这是一个你可以和自己玩的小游戏：从家中随意挑一些东西（或从包里挑选也行），然后强迫自己在物品和问题之间建立联系。花上 10～15 分钟，然后看看效果如何。

Impose limits on yourself.

自我设限。

By imposing limits on yourself your brain will have to work overtime and really get out of its own patterns. If you work with tools， remove the tool you use most frequently and ask yourself how you can accomplish a task in this situation. Or， try to force yourself to explain a problem without using “shop talk”.

通过自我设限，你的大脑就不得不加班加点，这就跳出了它固有的模式。如果你工作时需要工具，把你最常用的工具拿走，然后问问自己在这种情况下如何完成这项任务。或者，尝试强迫自己在不用专业术语的情况下解释问题。

The ideas above can of course be refined and substituted for lots of other ideas. As long as what you do forces new input on you， you will benefit. Also remember to sort through and pick the best ideas. This way you will have more of them.

当然，以上 5 个方法可以细化，或用其他想法替代。只要你做的事有助你产生新的想法，你就有收获。此外要记住，整理并挑选出最好的想法。这样做的话，你会有越来越多好的想法。