Want To Innovate? Science Says, “Be Spontaneous”

Synopsis

People think too much to be spontaneous, which leads to
paralysis by analysis, but innovators think spontaneously and
even impulsively.

Innovators exhibit
the persistent attitude, but they balance their focus and
mental persistence with the spontaneous attitude, which gives
them the ability to think flexibly. The spontaneous attitude,
one of the 27 characteristics found in all innovators, is being
flexible and immediately acting on new ideas and/or
opportunities. It is common for people to over-think or
over-analyze a situation or a problem, but this inhibits their
ability to come up with a solution or an action. Innovators
have shown to think spontaneously, which makes their
decision-making processes flexible and chaotic. Innovators
prefer to lead a more spontaneous lifestyle than a stable path.
They are not self-conscious about their thoughts, which enables
them to think randomly and subconsciously. Innovators do
not give much thought to practicality, which helps them
generate unique ideas.

Ideas that are unique but not useful are considered irrelevant
or crazy, thus they require critical thinking that consists of
analysis and evaluation. However, generating and evaluating
ideas at the same time is like driving with one foot on the
brake and the other on the accelerator. Innovators
balance spontaneity with persistence to generate and evaluate
ideas. After spontaneously generating many ideas, they
work on other simple work; take a break; relax; or
daydream, which often leads to unique ideas. Later when
they return to the ideas they generated, they critically and
persistently analyze and evaluate them for usefulness.

Then, how can you nurture your spontaneous
attitude?

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First, discover what is keeping you from living
spontaneously, and remove it from your life by:

Finding predictable behavior by making a list of your daily
routines to determine whether you:
- Do things in the same order
- Take the same route to work every day
- Talk to the same people every day
- Order the same drink or meal at a restaurant

Second, shake up your routine
by

Not over-planning or over-scheduling your life
Making an immediate plan and going through with it, instead
of talking about it
Experimenting with new ways of doing things
Changing something around you
Standing up, sitting less, and moving more
Leaving a choice up to chance by flipping a coin or rolling
a dice
Breaking a plan for a more exciting one
Getting someone to be spontaneous with you
Not letting others make your decisions for you
Not getting hung up on small decisions
Not setting expectations for yourself
Following your heart and not logic
Disconnecting from technology for 24 hours and keeping the
day open for anything

Third, be unpredictable and keep others guessing.
For example:

Participate in activities that will lead to an exciting
story that can be shared with others
Be expressive and add drama to a situation
Act on your thoughts or ideas, instead of just thinking
about them, and improvise
Experiment with different styles or colors than you
regularly purchase or make
Draw or color to express your feelings
Trim bushes into new shapes
Learn or use a different accent
Wear something unconventional or ridiculous
Make or play musical instruments
Take a walk without a destination, or explore a place
you’ve never been
Try a new route or method of travel—a scenic route and/or
public transportation or bicycle
See a movie without seeing the trailer
Give a random stranger a compliment
Meet new friends by
- Going to a party without knowing anyone
- Going to a concert alone
- Spending time with different kinds of people,
  especially older adults
- Reconnecting with old friends or people from your past
Be unexpectedly romantic to your significant other by
- Giving him/her something special
- Telling how much he/she means to you
- Going somewhere scenic and/or making a new memory
  together
- Expressing affection or intimacy in an unexpected time,
  way, or place

Finally, spice up your life by trying something
new:

Cook a new recipe or use ingredients you’ve never heard of
Try different or exotic restaurants
Order the waiter’s favorite dish
Try a new hobby, activity, class, or exercise you’ve never
done before
Join a book club
Go to a local play, a flea market, or a farmer’s market
Do things you don’t usually do or you dislike
Do something that scares or intimidates you
Do something you loved to do as a child
Do something you’ve always wanted to try
Travel without a plan by:
- Letting serendipity rule the day
- Doing or trying things as you go