The Journey #5: A Tool for Seeking Novelty
In today’s Zoom gathering for paid newsletter subscribers, we used my tool for brainstorming ways to seek novelty.
Why seek novelty? To stay sane during the pandemic, keep your brain sharp, and partially compensate for the lack of healthy stimulation most of us are experiencing. Plus, you are likely to increase your creativity.
The top row shows elements you could change. The column on the far left shows ways you might change those elements. Combine one element from the left with one element from the top row and try to fill in the box where they meet with a creative new idea.
To give you an example, here are some ways you might fill in the empty box at the intersection of “Harder” and “Physical Activity”. You might make taking a walk harder by:
Walking backwards (with care, of course)
Hopping
Walking blindfolded, with the aid of a friend
Carrying a 30-pound backpack
A friend of mine in Park City once replaced going for a run with running up the Olympic Ski Jump stairs with a very heavy steel chain around his neck. (Important note: he only did it once, and does not recommend this alternation.)
By the way, I left a question mark at the bottom left so that you can fill in your own type of alteration.
The more time and care you give to filling in this grid, the more likely you are to challenge your brain in highly positive ways.
As always, I am happy to answer your questions.