10 ways to change cameras

Go on vacations!

Change planes. No, not the flying ones. I meant the mathematical ones. Analyze the project from a different plane. Pick two variables and forget the rest. Then pick another two variables and repeat until you have a good understanding of all the different planes. The n-dimensional shape will become clearer as your brain blends all those planes, and you migh discover hidden places and shapes (combinations) you might not have thought about before.

Change time. Imagine, for a second, you only have half the time to implement your idea or finalize your project. Then imagine just the opposite, that you have double the time. By temporarily eliminating the time constraint, this will help you concentrate and get first the big picture, then the details at the same time on your mind. If a factor of two doesn't work well, try a bigger one.

Repeat 3. with other constraints (resources, budget, etc).

Explain your idea to a kid or teenager. Then write down the story. You will probably end up with either an executive summary, or an excellent marketing collateral.

Change roles. If you are the entrepreneur, imagine you are the customer. Then imagine you are the partner, the supplier, the investor, the consumer, the engineer, the marketer, the ... You will discover that each individual will see different n-dimensional representation of the problem or idea. Extra-ball: practice the other 9 ways for each role!

Change the problem. Try thinking about a bigger idea that encapsulates the original one. Then do the opposite, break down the idea or problem into a combination of smaller ones. Extra-ball: you are smart enough to discover it on your own!

Change the rules. Imagine a different market, a different objective, different players, different technology. For example, if you are trying to build a very profitable business, imagine your idea or problem on a non-for-profit environment. You will discover you can borrow some of those new ideas to contribute back in your original world.

Tell a few friends about your idea or problem. Ask them to concentrate, listen to you, ask any necessary questions and try to remember it. Then ask them, a few days later, to repeat it back to you. If there is no clear intersection between the different stories, that probably means the story isn't clear to you either. The differences will help you realize where you are failing. The solution: go through the other 9 points, then repeat this one until the intersection is significant.

Be a kid. Ask why. Then ask why again. You will be surprised to know how many people get it wrong. Most of the times, there is a bigger agenda behind it, a bigger why and a bigger reason. If you are not there yet, try to guess it. Once you get it, that's the real problem or idea you wanna think about. Imagine. Go a few years back in time and see the problem or idea as something you might do in the future. Think how would you prepare yourselve (and the world) for it. Then go forward in time and see it as something you did and how the world changed because of it. Then match the expectations from a past view with the results that would make you happy from the future view. Re-set your goals and repeat.