Brilliant ideas, "AHA!" moment or pursuit of perfection

[Penguin]

So I have had many "Why didn't i think of that?" moments, but this has made me curious, do brilliant ideas come out of the blue, when you least expect them or do they come after intense study and analysis?

 

[GargoylesLegacy]

Hm, good Question actually =)
I guess mostly the Ideas come "out of the Blue", because *focussing on Purpose* / *forcing* kinda never really works.
And oddly I get the most Ideas when I should sleep. Seems my Mind is very active then and I get Tons of Ideas and Solutions for Problems. It's kinda annoying, because that's Time that is for sleeping but on the other Hand it is cool. Very helpful.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

It happens after both. I read an article a while ago, claiming that "AHA moments" come after a dip in mental activity. So actually, your mind goes blank, and then gets really excited (like a drain that's been unclogged) and you put together things that you weren't previously able to put together.

 

[Bufo]

To me a new idea is something that is missing from a model. I don't know what it is but I contemplate the peculiar gap time and again to get an idea of the part that might fit here. Then I begin to scan the surroundings for that part, collect several similar looking parts, try to insert them one after another in the gap and usually one of them fits there.

 

[mlittrell]

good question. i rarely have "a ha" moments. everything is kinda a constant flow of consciousness so if i saw ever idea that hit me as an "A HA" moment i wouldn't get anything done. not to jump to functions but "a ha" seems to be an Ni thing and constant flow of consciousness seems to be an Ne thing. i have two friends that have Ni as their auxiliary functions and they do the word association game thing all the time. my ENTP friend and i tried but failed horribly because we thought of so many words when they would say "apple" for instance and we could never pick just one lol.

 

[norepinephrine]

And oddly I get the most Ideas when I should sleep.

Personally, I solve most problems when I am asleep.

Also, if I spend a sufficient amount of time staring at the shadows on the wall while only minimally considering the issue at hand, the AHA realization comes "out of the blue".

 

[redacted]

So I have had many "Why didn't i think of that?" moments, but this has made me curious, do brilliant ideas come out of the blue, when you least expect them or do they come after intense study and analysis?

Intense study and analysis makes the part of your mind that does that kind of stuff more active (like, during the time you're in intense study, not afterward), but it can come out of the blue too.

 

[LostInNerSpace]

I've had my share of good ideas. I might even say generating ideas is my strongest skill. Some ideas come immediately or almost immediately. The best ideas form over an extended period of time--a few weeks to a few months, sometimes longer--and typically involve many small "AHA" moments. I find older ideas often form the building blocks for new ideas in a totally different context.

I do tend to immerse myself in subjects/projects that interest me, but I find "AHA" moments rarely come through intense study, not for me anyway. I usually get them while driving and listening to certain kinds of music, or when I'm just waking up in the morning, and sometimes when I'm focusing on something completely different.

My best ideas/work often evolve out of working with other people. Other people bring totally different perspectives.

 

[spirilis]

Does anyone keep a journal of these "good ideas?" If so, how do you keep them--something on your computer or a notepad you have on your desk, or something you keep with you at all times?

How often have you found yourself looking back at these?

 

[LostInNerSpace]

Does anyone keep a journal of these "good ideas?" If so, how do you keep them--something on your computer or a notepad you have on your desk, or something you keep with you at all times?

How often have you found yourself looking back at these?

An INTP keeping a journal? :yim_rolling_on_the_

 

[Lymitra]

So I have had many "Why didn't i think of that?" moments, but this has made me curious, do brilliant ideas come out of the blue, when you least expect them or do they come after intense study and analysis?

They have to be spontaneous for me. The more I attempt to be brilliant, the less brilliant I am.

 

[ewomack]

My best thoughts tend to come to me when I'm not thinking. "Go stare at a wall" is probably the best creative advice you can give someone.

 

[blanclait]

aha moments do happen, but its not very common. Often when it goes on paper, it turns out to be less brilliant than i had expected
Sometimes i have good idea, make some mistakes and realizations here and there and turns out to be brilliant.
i'm talking about terms of design, so i guess to certain extend, "happy accident" wouldn't apply as well.

 

[LostInNerSpace]

It does feel good to experience "AHA" moments, but I tend to think they are somewhat overrated. A lot of thought and a lot of energy goes into the build up to an "AHA" moment. I immerse myself in a project for as long as it holds my interest. If I lose interest I move on to some other more interesting occupation--usually trading. I'll never get bored of trading. This is what they call ADD. ADD is not so much a lack of ability to focus. It's more a lack of ability to focus on anything but what holds the interest of a person with ADD. I often find my attention drifting to trading or whatever else is holding my interest at the time. A friend whose nephew has ADD said all he wants to do is skateboarding. He is completely obsessed with skateboarding. A lot of it is motivation. This guy likes skateboarding probably for the adrenaline. If someone can show this guy that trading is kind of like skateboarding--actually I see it more like surfing--he might get obsessed with trading and eventually make a good living, and maybe have a few trading "AHA" moments. There's no shortage of adrenaline in trading. It's about replacing one need with another. Teachers don't get this point--too many teachers have little or no idea how to motivate kids. Same applies to a lot of corporations.