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Simple & Pragmatic Problem Solving
#59Chapter 5: Individual Creative Option Generation• Individual Creative OptionsCreative ThinkingIndividual ModeOvernight / 15 min capture(Medium)

Sleeping/Dreaming on It

From the book "Advanced Problem-Solving Toolbox: 115 Creative Plays" | Compiled & Edited by: Mojtaba Goudarzi, Open translation: Mehrshid Goudarzi
Executive Synopsis & Core Logic:

Consciously entrusting the problem to the brain's unconscious processing process during sleep phases (Rapid Eye Movements - REM) and hunting emerging ideas immediately after awakening.

Operational Parameters & Specifications

Category
Individual Creative Options
Dominant Thinking
Creative
Participation
Individual
Estimated TimeMedium
Overnight / 15 min capture
Medium
Input Format
Focused Questionnaire, Clear Bedtime Questions and Bedside Notebook
Output Format
Idea Generation
Key Application
Solving impossible scientific dead ends, developing algorithms, writing and creating stories, designing architecture, and making complex strategic decisions.
Core Differentiator:

Exploitation of parallel processing power and unconscious nonlinear associations in the absence of censoring controllers of the conscious cortex.

Quick Field Example:

Like Kekule's discovery of the structure of benzene or Edison's naps: the online store manager focuses on the payment problem before going to sleep and wakes up with the idea of ​​"one-click payment".

Operational Benefits & Implementation Risks

Advantages & Value Creation:

Taking advantage of the brain's free capacity in sleep, linking the deepest knowledge of memory, solving puzzles in which waking thought is locked.

Risks & Potential Trade-offs:

The unpredictability of the time of inspiration and the rapid fading of the dream memory if no notes are taken in the first seconds of waking.

Real-World Organizational & Industry Scenarios

Scientific and Mathematical Research: Reviewing formulas before sleep to find proof in dreams.
Designing a macro strategy: letting go of complex market analysis and letting the brain do seamless summaries overnight.
Writing and Screenwriting: Creating dramatic denouements and characterizations inspired by lucid dreams.

Strategic Rationale & Why to Apply

1Deactivation of the critic's prefrontal cortex (Prefrontal Cortex): In sleep, logical censorship is removed and surprising associations are formed.
2Memory Consolidation in REM Sleep: The sleeping brain associates new experiences with the entire archived information of a lifetime.
3Brilliant history in the history of science: from Mendeleev and the creation of the periodic table to Edison and Niels Bohr, all were inspired by sleep.
4Regeneration of cognitive power: In contrast to exhausting awakenings, sleep simultaneously restores biological energy and gives birth to a response.

Conceptual Framework & Book Method Description

"Sleeping/Dreaming on It" technique is a proven method in cognitive neuroscience.

Psychologists have discovered that when the conscious mind reaches a dead end, more stress only causes cortisol to be released and synapses to lock up. In this technique, a person reads the problem information completely during the day and half an hour before going to sleep, he writes the problem statement in the form of a clear question (for example, "How to make the payment process frictionless?") and reflects on it. Then he falls asleep with complete relaxation. The brain recombines these data in the dreaming phase. The crucial point is to have a pen and paper next to the bed to immediately record sleep as soon as you open your eyes.

Step-by-Step Real-World Implementation Scenario

Designing a Revolutionary One-Click Shopping Process with Edison's Dreaming Technique
1
Step 1: Data Feed and Formulation of Nightly QuestionThe manager reviewed the step-by-step data of user churn in the shopping cart stages and wrote in the notebook: "How to reduce the interval from decision to final payment to zero seconds?".
2
Step 2: Mental Release and Deep SleepPut away the cell phone, dreamily visualize the smooth flow of water in the pipes and fall asleep without stress.
3
Step 3: Waking up at dawn and recording the sparks of the dreamwoke up at 6 am with a mental image of "the elevator push button opening directly on the destination floor" and immediately recorded the metaphor.
4
Step 4: Translating the intuitive dream into software languageDesigning the "One-Click Buy" feature: the default storage of the address and bank card in the credit wallet, so that the user can order the product by pressing a button without going through the shopping cart.
5
Step 5: Evaluation and Unparalleled Business AchievementAfter implementing this quick button, cart abandonment decreased by 40% and the volume of instant and unplanned purchases tripled.

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