Here are 50 different prompts you can use as a tech manager to change your thinking and break out of being stuck:
- Imagine you’re explaining your current challenge to a 10-year-old child. How would you simplify it?
- What would your biggest critic say about your approach? Consider their perspective.
- Flip the problem on its head. Instead of solving it, how could you intentionally create that problem?
- Envision the ideal solution. Work backwards from there to see new paths.
- Think of an analogy from nature that could inspire a novel solution.
- Swap roles with someone on your team. How would they approach it differently?
- Imagine you’re from the future, looking back at this problem. What advice would you give your present self?
- Ask yourself, “What’s the craziest solution I could possibly imagine for this?”
- Look at the problem through the lens of a different industry or discipline.
- Break the problem down into the smallest possible components. Rebuild from there.
- Take a walk and observe the world around you. What insights can you draw?
- Write a short story or fable that symbolizes your challenge. Let your creativity flow.
- Draw or sketch your thoughts and ideas visually, without words.
- Listen to an album or playlist that inspires you, then revisit the problem.
- Imagine you’ve been hired as a consultant to solve this challenge. What would you recommend?
- Pretend you’re pitching a solution to a panel of experts. How would you convince them?
- Think about the problem in reverse. Start from the desired outcome and work backwards.
- Change your physical environment. Work from a different location or setting.
- Discuss the challenge with someone completely unfamiliar with it. Their fresh perspective may surprise you.
- Take a mental break and do something you enjoy, then return to the problem refreshed.
- Imagine you’re from a different culture or background. How might that shift your viewpoint?
- Write down every assumption you’ve made about the problem. Challenge each one.
- Look for parallels or patterns in nature, history, or other domains that could inform your thinking.
- Envision the worst-case scenario. How could you prevent or mitigate it?
- Collaborate with someone you typically wouldn’t work with on this type of problem.
- Pretend you’re a famous innovator or visionary. How would they approach this challenge?
- Flip a coin or roll a die to randomly select an unconventional starting point or constraint.
- Change the timeframe. How would you approach the problem if you had a year? A day?
- Write a letter to your future self, explaining the challenge and how you’d like to solve it.
- Imagine you’re the customer or end-user. How would their perspective differ from yours?
- Find a metaphor or symbolic representation for the problem. Explore the connections and meanings.
- Take a break and do something physical or active, then revisit the problem.
- Look for inspiration in works of art, literature, or music that move you.
- Pretend you’re a journalist writing an article about this challenge. How would you frame it objectively?
- Imagine you’re a scientist or researcher investigating this problem. What experiments would you run?
- Break the rules. Identify and intentionally violate one constraint or assumption about the problem.
- Use a random word generator or dictionary to introduce new concepts or ideas.
- Imagine you’re a time traveler from the past. How would this challenge look through that lens?
- Look for patterns or trends that could inform your thinking in unexpected ways.
- Change your physical posture or body position. How does that affect your perspective?
- Pretend you’re a philosopher or wise elder. What profound insights might you offer?
- Write down the problem, then physically cut or rearrange the words to create new combinations.
- Imagine you’re a stand-up comedian. How could you use humor to reframe the challenge?
- Look for examples of the challenge in movies, TV shows, or books. How did the characters approach it?
- Take a mindfulness or meditation break to clear your mind, then revisit the problem.
- Imagine you’re a teacher explaining this to a classroom. How would you make it engaging and understandable?
- Use an online idea generator or creative thinking tool to spark new connections.
- Pretend you’re an artist or designer. How could you visually represent or interpret the problem?
- Look for analogies or parallels in fields completely unrelated to your work.
- Imagine you’re a different person entirely. How might their experiences and background shift their thinking?
Change how you approach challenges – Try the 50 prompt system