---
title: "Creative Quickie - A Creative Thinking Exercise with \"3 Steps and Pick\""
description: "Creative Quickie - A Creative Thinking Exercise with \"3 Steps and Pick\""
---

[Blog | Brainzooming ](https://www.brainzooming.com/blog)

# [Creative Quickie - A Creative Thinking Exercise with "3 Steps and Pick"](https://www.brainzooming.com/blog/creative-quickie-creative-thinking-exercise-3-steps-and-pick)

 Written by [Mike Brown](https://www.brainzooming.com/blog/author/mike-brown) | Jul 7, 2008 10:00:00 AM

<https://www.brainzooming.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/080626+CQ+-+Stepping+into+a+CQ-May-25-2022-01-58-54-94-PM.jpg>When you need to [tap your creativity for a new look at an old project](https://www.brainzooming.com/blog/4-ways-turn-open-ended-comments-fresh-insights/211905), try this 3-step creative quickie approach with a goal of generating 33 new ideas from each creative thinking exercise step.

#### A Creative Thinking Exercise with "3 Steps and Pick"

**Step 1 – Think Connections:** Ask, [“What’s this project like?”](https://www.brainzooming.com/blog/new-innovative-ideas-strategy-planning-with-whats-it-like/16001) Generalize the project, select an analogous situation, and then apply attributes, lessons, and possibilities from the analogous situation to your project.

**Step 2 – Think Random:** Select random words, phrases, and images from a magazine and ask, “What does this word, phrase, or image suggest about possibilities for my project?” Stuck for a good magazine to use? Try [“Real Simple”](http://www.realsimple.com/) or any other big, picture-rich magazine outside your field.

**Step 3 – Think Again:** Go back through your 66 current ideas and start pairing them up to generate 33 more possibilities.

**Pick:** With the 99 ideas you now have, there should at least [10 to 15 possibilities that you can select](https://www.brainzooming.com/she-loves-me-she-loves-me-not-making-choices-easier/643/) and directly apply to your old project to enliven it!

How's that for a creative quickie to get a lot of ideas and then do something with them! - *[Mike Brown](https://www.brainzooming.com/?page_id=1197)*

 

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