are your ideas thirsty?

hey there big plants,

today i’m serving up that big glass of water you didn’t know you needed.

starting with this fascinating stat:

did you know that 67% of millennials call themselves plant murderers 🔪🪴with an average of 7 houseplant victims?

well your precious plant babies aren't the only things that need ideal conditions. your ideas need that tlc in the right environment too, extra true when multiple plant parents are involved.

where you think matters more than most realize.

so today i’m revealing my favorite brainstorming tools & technique that play a big part in my ideal idea-care routine.

caged creativity

if you’ve ever tried to solve a complex math problem in google docs or host a meeting in canva, you know that not all tools are built for all things.

unfortunately, many of us, myself included, default to brainstorming our ideas in rigid, linear thinking tools. i’ve made 1,000s of the presentations in my career & majority were started in the software itself. a practice i learned from my managers that’s common in the corporate & academic world.

i only recently discovered a better way.

thanks to nancy duarte’s slide:ology, which explains how some tools restrict & obstruct the free-flowing nature of idea generation.

mix & match mediums

when brainstorming & following my 5 best practices, you’ll need more than just any ol place to hold your idea seedlings.

you need something that nurtures them too. you need tools with that unlimited canvas feeling. tools that dynamically change as your ideas evolve. the more flexible & fluid the better.

to get your creative juices flowing, start by mixing & matching these mediums:

1. blank page: i’m a big believer in journaling ideas.

2. notes apps: my go-to for my fleeting on-the-go ideas.

3. sticky notes: the most iconic physical brainstorming tool.

4. physical whiteboard: the most popular irl meeting device.

5. digital whiteboard apps: the cleanest & best virtual work option.

all 5 work for solo brainstorming, but i find #3-5 are better for groups.

tools #1-4 are straightforward, self-explanatory containers to hold your ideas, but i want to dive into #5 as it’s a newer approach.

digital dry-erase

meet your new best friend for virtual group brainstorming: digital whiteboards.

my favorite apps are canva, miro, & mindnode.

but it’s worth noting that some meeting tools like zoom & microsoft now have them built in. you can also hack together this approach with slides, but i don’t recommend as you may limit your ideas.

the thing i love most about these digital whiteboards is how you can incorporate text, images, sticky notes, drawings, memes, links, & anything else at your digital disposal.

just look at how beautiful these whiteboard templates are in canva!

merry mindmaps

my merriest method for brainstorming with a digital whiteboard is called mind mapping. i love the process, ideas, & visuals generated by this technique.

a mind map is a diagram that visually organizes information into a hierarchy.

this brainstorming (& learning) technique was popularized by tony buzan as way to manage the manager of knowledge, the brain.

he loving calls it the flower power of our intelligence 🌼 

here’s tony’s key tenants of mind mapping:

1. brainstorm a central idea

2. place an image of that idea in the center

3. add related single words around that image

4. add second, third, to infinity levels of related words

5. curve the branches connecting ideas

6. replace some words with images

7. use color as a thinking tool

merry partner: amanda goetz’s course

brainstorming is all about curiosity & i love to explore my curiosities by taking courses.

i recently took (& helped create slides for) amanda goetz’s newest course called life’s a game: the masterclass. the course is perfect for anyone looking to find that balance between external success & internal fulfillment.

shares her anti-hustle approach to life focused on what matters most to help you get success without burnout.

click here to learn how to live life on your own terms!

now it’s your turn to give your ideas that tlc they deserve.

whether it's switching from a notes app to a massive whiteboard or mixing it up with mind maps, find the tools that make your creative process flourish.

then watch as your ideas bloom from ordinary to extraordinary.

let’s keep growing together 🌱✨

p.s. sometimes while brainstorming, you need to gather more information. curious to hear how you approach this 👇️