We strongly believe that everyone should have the tools to stimulate and train their mind every day. Such regular stimulation not only leads to an improvement in your ability to come up with creative solutions, but also forms new neural connections which enhance your creative ability all the time.

So we provide four Free Creativity Training exercises, spread out through every single day.

How it works:

  1. There are four different types of exercises, each designed to use slightly different mental abilities
  2. There are scheduled for regular release here on the site throughout the day
  3. They are also automatically published on our Twitter and Facebook feed, where you can also complete the exercises using the supplied hashtags
  4. Each exercise will consist of a short challenge requiring as many creative solutions as you can think of
  5. Write all your ideas for responses in either the comments field for the exercise on this site, or replies on Twitter and Facebook
  6. Do not worry if other people come up the same or similar suggestions to you. In fact, if you see someone’s suggestion and it prompts an additional idea of yours, write it as a reply to theirs
  7. Over time you may notice the number, originality and diversity of your ideas will be increasing as your creativity is enhanced
  8. Suggested time limits and instructions for each exercise are below

The exercises:

#Can You Hack It

This exercise could pose you any random challenge, for which you should think of as many diverse solutions as you can.
Time limit: 4 minutes
Creativity abilities trained: Speed / Visualisation / Association
Example: “Fold a sheet of paper without touching it with your hands”
Example solutions: Use air pressure from a hose, use chopsticks, train a pet to do it, put an ad on the internet to pay someone else to do it, attach magnets to both sides of the paper, attach balloons to both side of paper with an obstacle in the middle, use your feet, use gloves, create a mini wormhole on the centre of the paper attracting the two ends, fold the table on which it is lying, put it on your abs while doing sit-ups……….

#Six by Six Degrees

You will be given two unrelated words, with five spaces for new different words to bridge the gap. Use a logical step to get from each word to the next, which could be similar uses, related objects, rhymes, look, whatever works for you. However, each new set of words may not use any you you have already written down.
Time limit: 2 minutes (six sets of answers in this time is excellent)
Creative abilities trained: Speed / Divergent & Convergent thinking / Rule limitations
Example: Sunshine _ _ _ _ _ Chair
Example solutions: Sunshine – Summer – Beach – Sand – Towel – Deck – Chair, Sunshine – BBQ – Friends – drink – bar – stool – Chair, Sunshine – Ice-Cream – Chocolate – Mint – Shampoo – Hair – Chair, Sunshine – darkness – night – cold – fire – armchair – Chair, Sunshine – Moonshine – space – astronaut – suit – office – Chair

#Weird Combinations

You will be asked to create and example or name of something using some properties of two unrelated things / people.
Time limit: 5 minutes
Creative abilities trained: Wordplay / Content / Association
Example: Famous Movie Names with Farmyard animals inserted
Example solution: Goatsbusters / Cow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days / Fillydelphia / Duck, Where’s my Car?

#Backronyms

You are given a subject and some random letters which are an unspecified Acronym for the subject (like NYC is “New York City”). Work backwards using the letters to figure out what the Acronym could stand for related to that subject.
Time limit: 2 minutes
Creative abilities trained: Content / Rule limitation / Wordplay
Example: TNU
Example solution: Totally New U, Thighs near Underarm, Thin ‘n Ugly, Trendy Niche Upscale

 

Come back every day for the new exercises. And if you have any suggestions for the exercises you’d like to see on the site, then send them to us.