How radical openness can 10x your creativity

10 principles to help you rewire your brain and supercharge your creative output

What is the master key to unlocking 10x creativity? A radical level of mental openness that changes how your brain is wired and supercharges the quality of your creative output.

Radical openness manifests itself in a number of profound ways that go well beyond what the average person thinks of as “creativity.” They can be divided into two “hemispheres” — internal openness, which encompasses the mysterious realm of the mind, and external openness, which focuses on stimuli in our outside environment that can serve as creative catalysts.

Let’s take a closer look.

Internal openness

Openness to investing time in problem definition

Most people jump to the fun part of the creative process — brainstorming. But that’s usually counterproductive because it causes you to pick at symptoms or generate solutions for the wrong problem. A more effective approach is to first clearly define the problem. Often, this involves deconstructing it into its elements. In the process, a solution may suggest itself.

Openness to persistence