I love brainstorming. I’ve always enjoyed hanging around, just me and my brain, playing with ideas. My mind is my playground.
There’s something magical about that moment when ideas start flowing, connections form, and possibilities unfold. As a ghostwriter who helps thought leaders develop business books, ideation is truly the best part of my job.
But lately, I’ve noticed something: brainstorming alone isn’t always as energizing as it could be. I miss the days before the pandemic when I would spend most of my day working in a coffee shop. The buzz of energy around me—mostly students working on laptops or pretending to study with their friends—always made me feel more inspired. Now, I spend most of my day working alone in my home office.
Even when you love what you do, spending too much time in your own head can start to feel isolating. That’s why I’ve been exploring new ways to make my ideation process more playful, collaborative, and fun.
If you’re looking to transform your brainstorming from a solitary task into an engaging playground of ideas, here are some approaches I’ve been experimenting with:
1. Create an Ideation Buddy System
I’ve always been a fan of co-working, but lately, I’ve ramped up the time I spend co-working with business besties in person and virtually. I regularly schedule co-working sessions a few days a week and often spend all day Friday co-working.
We’ll hop on Zoom for 90 minutes, set intentions for what we want to brainstorm, then work independently but together. The energy of having someone else in creative mode alongside you is surprisingly motivating, and you have an instant sounding board when you want feedback.
I’ve found that different friends bring different energies to these sessions. Some are great at helping me expand possibilities, while others excel at helping me refine and focus my thinking. Cultivate a diverse circle of thought partners!
2. Take Your Brain for a Walk
Physical movement has a profound effect on creativity. When I’m feeling stuck or just want to shake things up, I’ll take a walk. There’s something about the rhythm of walking and the change of scenery that helps ideas flow more naturally.
I think best through my fingers, though, so I don’t usually record my thoughts during the walk, but I know plenty of people who swear by creating voice memos. You may be able to plan out your book or map out a chapter this way.
Research backs this up too—a Stanford study found that walking increases creative output by an average of 60%. Next time you need to brainstorm, try taking your ideas outside and see what happens when you let your mind wander while your feet do the same.
Or even better, combine 1 and 2 and invite your business besties to go for a walk with you! My friend Marcey calls these sessions “Walkie Talkies.” I love it!
3. Turn Ideation into a Game
Gamifying the brainstorming process can transform it from work to play. Here are a few simple games to try:
- The Random Word Challenge: Pick three random words (you can use a random word generator, like this one) and force connections between them and your topic. This creates unexpected associations.
- Writing with Your Senses: Hollis Citron does a creative writing exercise where you pick something to taste or smell and then write whatever comes to mind. It could be a poem or a list of words. I like this as a warm-up writing exercise.
- The Five-Minute Sprint: Feeling stumped about blog article or LinkedIn post ideas? Set a timer and generate as many ideas as possible in five minutes, no filtering allowed.
- Idea Ping-Pong: With a partner, take turns building on each other’s ideas. For the improv fans out there, each person must say “yes, and…” before adding their contribution.
- Inspirational Tarot: If you’re feeling a little witchy, grab your favorite tarot deck, pull a few cards and use the images as writing prompts. My friend Amanda Stern has used this game to generate social media post ideas.
4. Create a Physical Ideation Space
While digital writing tools are convenient, there’s something powerful about physical spaces dedicated to creativity. I’ve used big sheets of paper to map out book ideas. I often use good ol’ fashioned notecards spread out on the floor for brainstorming and moving ideas around. I have plenty of colorful sticky notes laying around on my desk and stuck to the bottom of my computer screen, which doubles as my mini “ideation wall.”
I use different colored notes for different categories of ideas, and the physical act of moving them around helps me see connections I might miss on a screen.
5. Embrace the Power of AI Collaboration
AI tools can be surprisingly effective brainstorming partners. I’ll often use Claude as a thought partner by asking it to help me explore different angles on a topic or challenge my assumptions.
The key is to approach AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for your own thinking. I’ll ask it questions like “What’s a perspective on this topic I might be missing?” or “What are some unconventional approaches to this problem?”
I treat Claude like a writing assistant. I don’t expect it to come up with novel ideas, but I do use it as a way to jumpstart my own ideation process. It has been a game changer for me and my clients.
6. Schedule Creativity Dates with Yourself
Sometimes the best way to make brainstorming fun is to completely change your environment. I’ve started taking myself on “creativity dates” where I go somewhere inspiring—a museum, botanical garden, or even just a new coffee shop—with my notebook and let ideas bubble up naturally.
These outings feel special rather than like work, and they often yield my most innovative thinking.
7. Implement Structured Breaks
Counterintuitively, one of the best ways to improve your brainstorming is to build in deliberate breaks. While I’m not very good at following this particular piece of advice—when my ideas are flowing, I can spend four hours straight staring at my computer—I know that breaks are great for the brain.
Some people like shorter ideation sessions with quick breaks in between (like the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of focus followed by a 5-minute break). I prefer to work in 90-minute stretches (at the 25-minute mark I’m often just getting rolling). Then, I’ll take a 30-minute break.
During breaks, I do something completely different—stretch, look out into the woods, put my feet in the grass, or make a cup of tea. Coming back to my ideas with fresh eyes often reveals new possibilities.
The Joy of Collaborative Creation
What I’ve realized through all these experiments is that while I love brainstorming itself, I also crave the collaborative aspect of creativity. Human beings are naturally social, and sharing the ideation process with others—whether that’s friends, AI assistants, or even strangers at a workshop—brings an element of surprise and delight that’s hard to replicate alone.
This Spring, I’d love for you to consider how you can make your own work more playful. As for me, I’ll be looking for more ways to turn ideation from a solitary task into a collaborative playground!
Image by: Freepik