I'll teach you an input technique you can absolutely practice, no matter how busy you are.

Hello, I'm Yukio Hashiguchi, a copywriter.

I've released a book called "100-Idea Thinking." It explains the copywriter's mindset for all business professionals.

<Table of Contents>
▼Just generating ideas won't make ideas appear.
▼When you "observe," everything you see becomes input.
▼ Next time!

---

In " 100-Idea Thinking ," we generate ideas with the attitude that "quantity trumps quality."

Let go of the idea that you need to come up with a good idea. If you can't even generate mediocre ideas, you certainly won't come up with a good one. Whether you have talent or not, if you generate 100 ideas, one or two good ones are bound to be included.

The idea is to relax and expand your thinking. (See Part 1 of the series for details )

Simply thinking about generating ideas won't make them appear.

But when you actually try it, you'll find that generating even a large number of mediocre ideas is surprisingly difficult. When you're not used to it, you might not even reach ten ideas.

Don't worry. This has nothing to do with your ability.

There's a process for generating ideas. Follow it, and anyone can produce a quantity.

That process is:

(1) Input
(2) Generate ideas
(3) Select ideas

This is the process.

Most people

skip step (1) "Input"

and jump straight to

"(2) Generate ideas"

.

That's why they end up stuck in a state of frustration, unable to come up with anything.

Why is input necessary for generating ideas? Before explaining the reason, let's first consider "what an idea is."

Many people seem to think of ideas as "brilliant, novel flashes of inspiration that creators or artists suddenly have." That's a huge misunderstanding. Ideas aren't something that just flashes into your mind. Novelty isn't necessary at all.

An idea is

a combination of existing elements or a variation of them

.

Try analyzing a good idea you know well.

• iPhone = Cell Phone + Internet
• Roomba = Vacuum cleaner + Space exploration robot
• Star Wars = Science Fiction + Mythology

As you can see, even revolutionary ideas contain no entirely new elements. They are simply combinations of existing elements.

It's only natural that ideas won't come to mind if you don't input "existing elements."

Copywriters don't just start writing copy out of nowhere either. First, they relentlessly input peripheral information—about the product they're assigned, the people who use it, and so on.

Personally, I allocate 80% of my time to input and use the remaining 20% to write copy. With sufficient input, you will never find yourself completely devoid of ideas.

Here, I'll explain one of the six input techniques introduced in "100-Idea Thinking" that is both the easiest and most effective.

Through "observation," everything you see becomes input.

"How do you manage to get input when you're so busy?"

This is a question I hear constantly at lectures and events. Many people feel rushed by time and anxious about not getting enough input.

But rest assured. No matter how intense or hectic your workload, input is possible. Because

everything you see is input

.

The more capable someone is at their job, the more likely they are to equate input with reading. Bookstores are stacked high with how-to books on speed reading. Business book summary services are also popular.

Of course, reading books is undoubtedly beneficial. But that's not the only form of input.

Small talk before meetings, emails from friends, signs spotted at the station—seeds of ideas are scattered everywhere.

Even small things are things you yourself have seen, heard, and felt. They're far more likely to spark ideas than a business book written by a stranger you've never met.

I myself have written copy inspired by a friend's Facebook post or a picture book I read aloud to my child. Specific examples are introduced in the book, so please give it a read.

To turn everything you see into input, don't just glance around—make a conscious effort to "observe." You'll discover that even familiar scenes hold countless revelations.

What does observation mean here? It means

viewing the world with a problem-solving mindset

.

In my case, the moment I became a parent, I suddenly noticed how many strollers and parent-child bicycles filled the streets. I also started paying attention to things like steps at stations and roads with heavy traffic but no crosswalks.

In other words, before that, I hadn't been seeing things that should have been there.

From now on, try to be mindful of "the work or challenges you are currently tackling" at all times.

Your usual commute.
Even a boring meeting.
Your friends' tweets.
Grocery shopping at the supermarket.

Once you develop the habit of "observing," you can turn everything into input.

Next time!

This article is Part 2 of a 4-part series. The planned series outline is as follows (Sorry, this has changed since last time).

Part 1: What is "100-idea thinking"?
Part 2: Input Techniques You Can Absolutely Practice No Matter How Busy You Are. ※This is the current part
Part 3: "Idea Generation": Bad Ideas Welcome! Go for Quantity Over Quality
Part 4: "Idea Selection": No Favoritism or Majority Rule Allowed
Part 5: "Idea Selection": No Favoritism or Majority Rule

&nbsp;

Next time, we finally tackle the core of "100-Idea Thinking": "Idea Generation"!

Stay tuned.