20 Ways to Improve
April 28th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina
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A simple yet powerful idea I learned from Earl Nightingale is to grab a blank piece of paper (or a blank computer screen) and brainstorm a list of 20 ways to improve. You can write down anything — ways to increase your income, improve your health, better your relationships, etc. The focus is on generating ideas to make your life better. I find this usually takes 30-60 minutes, and I like to do it first thing in the morning before breakfast. If you do it every day for a week, you generate 140 ideas. It’s OK to generate more than 20 ideas per session, but 20 is the minimum to shoot for.
The first 10 ideas will usually come quickly. The next 5 take a bit more effort, and the last 5 really force me to think. Most ideas tend to be junk, unworkable for one reason or another, but often it’s idea number 19, 20, or 21 that turns out to be golden. The best ideas are those that are very simple but which have a decent positive impact.
Instead of “20 Ways to Improve,” you can also brainstorm with a more specific intent, like “20 Ways to Generate Extra Income” or “20 Ways to Increase Productivity.” And if you’re an office manager, try having all of your employees generate 20 ideas to improve operations, increase sales, improve morale, etc. One good idea can easily be worth the time investment, not to mention the eye-opening effect of reading everyone’s ideas. Many managers offer small cash bonuses ($5-50) for good ideas that end up being implemented.
April 28th, 2005 at 10:20 pm
Hi Steve,
Do you brainstorm this list for yourself on a regular basis?
From Shannan
April 29th, 2005 at 4:12 am
I’ve sometimes used it every day for weeks at a time; other times I’ve only used it sporadically. When I want to generate new ideas, I use it often. When I already have a lot of ideas and want to explore the relationships between them, I use mind-mapping instead.
April 29th, 2005 at 4:39 am
Wow Steve, another great post. I use a hub and spoke diagram on a sheet of paper for brainstorming. Something about the circular format helps the ideas flow a little better. I really like your twist by brainstorming “20 ways to improve” and taking the time it takes to come up with 20 answers.
This is one of those simple little things that can have huge rewards. Almost on the same level as your “triple your productivity” technique.
Thanks!
John
P.S. Off to our Toastmasters district 12 conference tomorrow. Great speakers planned! Day 12 out of 30 on my blog updates. Thanks for the challenge!
April 29th, 2005 at 6:58 am
I read on your blog that you earned your DTM, John — congrats! I just earned my CTM in March and have done one speech towards my ATM-B. I have tremendous respect for the long road it takes to become a DTM.
I’m in District 33, but I won’t be attending my district conference next week. I did attend the International Conference last year in Reno and had a blast though.