This routine is what you need to come up with that BIG idea

At the heart of any successful venture lies that one BIG idea. Everything else depends on how well you nurture it and try to turn it into reality. So, where do these ideas come from? They certainly cannot be generated on command. While some ideas seem so simple that you wonder why you couldn’t come up with them earlier, some others seem so revolutionary that you feel an admiration towards the person who came up with it. All ideas are generated in our minds, and all of us—you, me and the person who comes up with a million dollar idea has the same 24 hours on hand. So what do they do differently? Coming up with such ideas requires active participation, not idle daydreaming.Here are some ways you can get organised to come up with your big idea:

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Maintain your own idea book

James Altucher, an entrepreneur and bestselling author and podcaster, advises carrying an idea book with you everywhere you go and jot down at least 10 ideas daily. This will help you exercise your ‘idea muscle’ and keep it healthy. “Somewhere around idea number six, your brain starts to sweat,” he said. “This means it is building up. Break through this. Come up with 10 ideas.” If you continue this practice regularly, you will get 3,650 ideas in a year. Applying the Pareto Principle, even if 80 percent of your ideas are useless, you will still be left with around 36 really good ones!

Find the list of problems that annoy you

Most business ideas are solutions to some problem. Get out of your comfort zone, travel around least-visited areas, meet more people and make yourself vulnerable to more problems. Then, make a note of them. You can start thinking of your next business idea based on the need of the hour. David Cohen, Founder and CEO of TechStars, said, “One company of mine, earFeeder, came about because I wanted news on music I loved and found it hard to get. So I created a service that finds news from the internet about the music you have in your computer and updates you about ticket deals and other offers.”

Stick to a routine

Most successful people have a lot in common. The habits of successful people are usually different from that of the rest. Gretchen Rubin, blogger and author of Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, says, “Habits are decisions that we put on autopilot, so it takes no time, effort, energy or willpower to enforce them. They can save time and avoid decision-making fatigue.” Do not waste your time making decisions about unnecessary things like what to wear, what to eat and so on. Utilise your time more effectively to ideate and innovate. Steve Jobs always stressed on the need to minimise as many day-to-day choices as possible. Mimicking him, Mark Zuckerberg also always wears jeans and a hoodie.

What are your hacks to come up with good ideas? Let us know in the comments section below.