12 Ways to Think Outside the Box (+ How to Boost Your Creativity)

Download Article

Stimulate your creativity and create new possibilities

Co-authored by Mary Church, PhD and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: June 7, 2024 Fact Checked

Download Article

What does it mean to think "outside the box?"

|

Ways to Think Outside the Box

|

Benefits of Thinking Outside the Box

|

Strengthening Your Creative Mind

If you've ever been told you should "think outside the box" and didn't understand exactly how to do that, you've come to the right place. We talked to research and clinical psychologist Mary Church to get the low down on what it means to think outside the box and how you can do it in your life. Stick around and you'll also learn the many benefits of thinking creatively and how you can train your brain to be more open, flexible, and creative.

Thinking Outside the Box

When you think outside the box, you throw out the usual assumptions people would make about a problem and look at it from a totally different perspective. Use techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, and role-playing to stimulate your creative thinking so you can more easily think outside the box.

Section 1 of 4:

What does it mean to think "outside the box?"

Download Article

"Think outside the box" is an idiom that describes creative thinking. In context, the "box" is whatever the usual assumptions are surrounding the problem you need to solve. To think outside the box means to ignore the things people normally assume and look at the problem from a different perspective.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- It's hard for a lot of people to think creatively like this because it requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and think about some potentially risky things.
- Thinking outside of the box can also cause you to question beliefs you've held for a long time. While that can be tough, it's also necessary for you to grow as a person.
- True "outside the box" thinking is actually pretty rare! Surveys have shown that fewer than 10% of people think creatively on a regular basis.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}

Section 2 of 4:

Ways to Think Outside the Box

Download Article

1
Move to a different location. When you give the logical, left hemisphere of your brain a break it becomes much easier for the creative right hemisphere to take over. So take your problem-solving discussion outside, go to a public place, or even take a shower—something different to shake things loose.^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source

Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices

Go to source}
- For example, if you're stumped trying to come up with a project for a class, you might take your dog to the park and try to put the project out of your mind—something might come to you once you give the left hemisphere of your brain a rest.
2
Brainstorm ideas without judgment. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes. During that time, come up with as many solutions for your problem as you can without worrying about whether they're anything you would actually do. One of the hardest things to do here is to turn off your inner critic that tells you that you can't or shouldn't do something or that's a bad idea.^{[4]
X
Trustworthy Source

Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices

Go to source}
- Church agrees that "to think outside of the box... requires curiosity, rather than judgment."^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mary Church, PhD
  Research & Clinical Psychologist
  
  Expert Interview. 6 August 2021.}
- If you're having a hard time letting yourself loose, try to think of a solution to your problem that would be illegal. While you're not going to actually do the illegal thing, having that idea up on the board shows you that literally everything is on the table.
- If the problem is just too broad for you to tackle, you might need to scale it back with parameters. For example, instead of brainstorming how to increase social media engagement, you could start by focusing on a single platform.
3
Look at the problem from a different angle. It's conventional to work from your starting point to your ultimate goal—but why not think about it backwards? Take a solution, then work backwards to figure out how you get there and what position you need to be in to get started down that path.^{[6]
X
Trustworthy Source

Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices

Go to source}
- For example, if you want to run a marathon, you might imagine that you've just finished your first marathon, then map out the steps it took you to get to that point.
4
Draw a picture of the problem (or a possible solution). Drawing activates your creative right hemisphere and makes it a lot easier for you to see more creative solutions to problems that might have evaded you before. It also allows you to visualize things in a way that you might not have been able to do before.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you're not an artist or not comfortable drawing, you might also mold something in clay or build something with blocks—these activities also stimulate your visual brain and get you thinking outside of the box.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
5
Listen to other people's ideas. No one can ever completely separate their ideas from their background, experiences, and perspectives that make them who they are. That's why listening to other people is a really great way to think outside of the box—other people often have a totally different box than you do, so something that might seem off-the-wall to you would seem perfectly normal to them.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- People tend to surround themselves with other people who are very similar to them because it's comfortable. Make an effort to surround yourself with people from diverse backgrounds so that you always have access to different viewpoints.
6
Talk to a little kid about it. Little kids make all kinds of connections that adults wouldn't think of, especially when they're just playing and having fun. They don't have all of the assumptions that adults do, so they can see things more easily that would be considered unconventional to an adult.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Playing with children's toys can put you in this headspace as well and help you come up with new and innovative ideas that you never would have thought of before.
7
Ask someone outside your field. This technique tends to work best if you're dealing with a problem at work or school. Your field or industry has many assumptions that you probably take for granted. If you talk to someone who isn't at all familiar with those assumptions, they can point out things that you might otherwise have missed.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Talking to someone who isn't making the same assumptions as you is a bit of a shortcut—you can also think through this and try to imagine what they would say, but that takes quite a bit of empathy.
- This doesn't just mean having a conversation! You can also read articles about how the problem is addressed in different fields or otherwise expose yourself to different methods.
- For example, if you're trying to come up with new plays for your football team, you might go to a rugby game and see if you can get some inspiration from some of their plays that you could adapt for your own sport.
Acting a solution out can help you see the problems with it as well as how to fix them. You also might uncover a totally different solution that would actually work better than the one you originally proposed.^{[12]
X
Research source}
9
Try mind-mapping to find holes that could be filled. To create a mind map, start with one thing. Write the word for that thing on a page and circle it. Then, think about what makes up the thing in the circle. Write those things around the original thing and circle them. Then, repeat the process until you've filled the page.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- Going backward like this helps you see the different parts that go into something so that you can more easily see where there's a gap you could fill or a process that could use some improvement.
10
Go for a walk to boost your inspiration. Studies show that walking is a great way to get your creative mind going. If you're ever at a loss for ideas or struggling to find a creative solution by thinking outside of the box, a short 20-minute walk outside in nature can help.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- If you can't get outside, walking inside can be just as beneficial, as can any other kind of movement. Getting up and moving around, even if it's just to do a few jumping jacks, will kickstart your creative mind.
If you've ever thought you'd do things way differently if you had the chance to start from scratch, here's your chance! When you merely build on what others have done before you, you're likely not coming up with any truly new ideas. To come up with a new idea, you have to either be able to connect seemingly unrelated concepts or to figure out a different way to do something that's better and more efficient than the usual way of doing it.^{[15]
X
Research source}
12
Question how things have always been done. Outside-the-box thinking is, at its heart, unconventional thinking. You'll find unconventional solutions if you ask why those conventions exist in the first place. Whose ends do they serve? Who benefits from them? Are they even relevant anymore?^{[16]
X
Research source}
- For example, if you're looking for a new and original breakfast idea, you might question why French toast is always sweet. This could lead you to the idea of creating a savory French toast dish.
Malcolm Gladwell, Writer

Be creative without constraints. "If everyone has to think outside the box, maybe it is the box that needs fixing."

Section 3 of 4:

Benefits of Thinking Outside the Box

Download Article

1
Growth Thinking outside of the box allows you to come up with creative solutions to problems that help you grow—either in your career or in your personal life. If you stick to the same assumptions as everyone else, you'll stagnate after a certain point. Moving beyond those assumptions is the only way to make progress.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- Church notes that with thinking outside of the box, "rather than predicting things, we can kind of imagine various alternatives, and I think grow from the process."^{[18]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mary Church, PhD
  Research & Clinical Psychologist
  
  Expert Interview. 6 August 2021.}
2
Awareness When you make creative thinking and questioning assumptions a habit, you become more aware of the connections that you have with everything and everyone around you. Because you're curious, open-minded, and flexible, you go into any situation with your eyes wide open.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- Thinking through many possible solutions to a problem also means that you're aware of other things that might work if you try one thing and it fails.
3
Empowerment Thinking outside of the box can really make you feel like you have control over your ultimate destiny. Because you're aware and agile, you know that you're able to formulate a solution to most problems that come your way.^{[20]
X
Trustworthy Source

Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices

Go to source}
- You won't shy away from problems that might seem too complex or too difficult because you'll know that there are different ways of looking at those things. You'll also be less afraid of failure.
4
Opportunity When you think outside of the box, you're much more likely to see opportunities on the horizon—and get yourself in the position to take those opportunities. When you have tunnel-vision focus on a particular goal, on the other hand, you often overlook these chances and pass them by.^{[21]
X
Research source}
- People who think creatively often seem to be very lucky, but really it's just that they're more aware.
- They're also more flexible and able to see the value in many different paths as opposed to being committed solely to one way of doing things.
Creativity is the driving force behind every innovation, large and small. Often, innovation happens because someone started thinking about a problem in a different way or asked different questions than other people were asking and found the best way to do something as a result.^{[22]
X
Research source}

Section 4 of 4:

Strengthening Your Creative Mind

Download Article

1
Map out a response to the worst-case scenario. Is fear of failure holding you back from even thinking about taking a potentially risky path? Write down the absolute worst thing that could happen, then think about how you'd deal with that. When you have a plan in place, you won't worry about it anymore because you'll know that you're capable of handling the worst. This gives you the freedom to think more creatively.^{[23]
X
Trustworthy Source

Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices

Go to source}
- Fear can cause you to stick to well-worn paths that you know will be successful, rather than taking risks that might pay off big but require you to blaze your own trail.
- Envisioning the worst-case scenario can help you convince yourself that even that isn't bad enough that you shouldn't try the riskier move.
2
Harness the power of positive thinking. Negativity kills creativity faster than anything else. Negativity speaks in limits and emphasizes what you can't do. Creativity thinks beyond the limits and focuses on what you can do. When you think positively about all of the things that you're capable of achieving and all of the things you have achieved in the past, it becomes much easier to think creatively.^{[24]
X
Research source}
- Positive thinking will also improve your overall mood, and a good mood also increases your creativity.^{[25]
  X
  Research source}
- Repeating positive affirmations each day is one way to encourage more positive thoughts and help you eliminate the negative ones.
3
Try creativity-boosting brain exercises. There are lots of little exercises that can help get you in a more creative frame of mind and help keep the creative right hemisphere of your brain more active. Here are a few you can try:^{[26]
X
Research source}
- Alphabetizing words: Take a word—any word—and alphabetize the letters that make up that word (so, for example, "number" would be "bemnru"). This works because you're requiring your brain to do something unconventional with the letters of the word and also breaking up the word into its constituent parts—both of which are aspects of thinking outside of the box.
- Generate ideas: Pick up a household object and spend 5 minutes coming up with a list of all the different ways you could use that object. This helps your mind become more comfortable seeing unconventional uses for things.
4
Change up your routine from time to time. Being stuck in a routine is a good way to get into a mental rut as well. Sometimes shaking things up and doing something a little different is just the thing you need to get your creative juices flowing. Here are some things you can try:^{[27]
X
Research source}
- Eat with your hands
- Commute to work or school by a different route
- Listen to music you don't normally listen to
- Turn everything off and just sit in quiet and observe
5
Step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. When you try new things, you tap into your beginner's mind—and your beginner's mind is a delightfully curious and open thing. The more you can look at things with a beginner's mind, the more you see all of the nuances that you might previously have overlooked. It also makes it easier for you to see which conventions or assumptions aren't working so you can get rid of those.^{[28]
X
Research source}
- For example, you might learn to play a musical instrument or take a dance class.
- While classes in the arts will pretty directly stoke your creativity, don't overlook things like learning how to play a new sport or even learning a new language.
6
Talk to people from different cultures and backgrounds. While learning new things and trying new activities is important, it's also important to expose yourself to different ideas and different outlooks. Talk to someone you would normally disagree with or that you don't understand. Keep an open mind and ask them questions to better understand why they think and feel the way that they do. ^{[29]
X
Research source}
- Beyond just talking to people, you can get similar benefits by reading articles and stories from different cultures or written by people with different backgrounds.
- Church encourages you to "recognize the inherent good of all of these different ways: living, breathing, thinking, feeling" so that you're better able to accept and learn from people's differences.^{[30]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mary Church, PhD
  Research & Clinical Psychologist
  
  Expert Interview. 6 August 2021.}
7
Practice mindfulness so your mind is less reactive. Mindfulness helps you live in the present with calm strength and emotional control. When you're coming from a place of calm, it's much easier to be creative and imagine outside-the-box solutions.^{[31]
X
Research source}
- Church notes that there are "loving kindness meditations that you can do [that] really train the brain" to see things from another perspective, which enhances your empathy and creative thinking.^{[32]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Mary Church, PhD
  Research & Clinical Psychologist
  
  Expert Interview. 6 August 2021.}
- Mindfulness also teaches you to notice things with intention and curiosity rather than judgment, which helps you think more unconventionally.^{[33]
  X
  Research source}