Are you looking for ways to in increase your creativity? A while ago, in a book on positive psychology, I came across the idea of spending 15 minutes on generating optimistic ideas. The advantage is that it will boost various character strengths, such as creativity and hope. When you do this, you will probably end up with some really, really bad ideas, as well as some great ones.
“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.”
― Winston Churchill
The advantage of this method is that you can apply it to almost anything. I have tried it on blogging, saving money, and traveling. In this post, I focus on the phases of generating optimistic ideas, and how to journal about it. In a future post, I will write about the next steps, deciding on an action plan and evaluating the result.
Steps for Generating Minutes of Optimistic Ideas in 15 Minutes
Perhaps one of the best things about this method is its simplicity. All you need to do is set your times 15 minutes from now. In those fifteen minutes, let your mind flow freely and write down every idea that occurs to you. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the ideas are, just jot them down.
Once you are done, take a look at your ideas. Which ones would you like to pursue? What does your action plan look like? And how will you evaluate the result? Now it’s time to turn the idea into a goal.
A tip: remember the criteria for smart goals. They are:
Optimistic Ideas in Your Journal
The fantastic thing about journals and bullet journals is that only the sky is the limit. It’s so flexible. In other words, you can design your spreads in any way you like. And what’s even better, you can put anything you like in it. I like making spreads that inspire and motivate me. It’s a lot about ideas and improvement. The strengths’ bingo is an absolute favorite and as a part of it, I usually include 15 minutes of generating optimistic ideas. This is a task that I usually set for myself on a monthly basis.
Here are my examples of three different kinds of spreads. I’m not good at drawing and minimalism is not my thing when it comes to journaling. As you can see, however, is that I love colors. Washi tape is also great! In my opinion, colors are a great way to add some joy to anything – from a journal to a gloomy day. I have set aside one page for each theme. I like to add quotes by clever people, such as John Stuart Mill.
This far I have made a spread for general themes, such as blogging and travel. However, I think that I will try to apply this method to more specific things, such as trips, blog posts, and so on.
Here you find more information about how to use your character strengths.
Do you want to know more about bullet journaling? I have written about it here.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
