If you’re trying to come up with new ideas for your company, you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone, according to the Inc.com article “7 Ways to Generate Great Ideas.” A new management, marketing, operations, or other business idea can be worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to your business, but the biggest obstacle is getting away from the conventional, mundane thinking that occupies most of your time. Here are some activities to help:

1. Engage in Observation Settings. One method is people watching…find a crowded place and just watch. If you spend some time paying close attention to behavior that you normally wouldn’t notice, it will hopefully spark some different thinking. Also try closely observing customers in your business or another retail environment.
2. Socialize Outside Your Normal Circles. Conversing with new people will make you think differently than talking with old friends, and their new perspectives could spark some ideas as well.
3. Read More Books. Business books are obviously valuable, but reading history and fiction can also help you switch up your thinking patterns. If you truly don’t have the time, try spending an hour browsing a bookstore and see where it gets you.
4. Randomly Surf the Web. Start with Google’s I’m Feeling Lucky button and see where it takes you. “Try to pick the stranger and more obscure references as you surf and stretch your brain a bit,” the Inc. article recommends.
5. Keep a Regular Journal. Recording your thoughts will help you structure and develop your idea development process. If you already keep a journal, practice closing each entry with: Here is my new idea for the day …
6. Meditate. Meditation, or even just some quiet, alone time, will help you clear your brain and make space for new ideas.
7. Use Structured Exercises. One example: Find a partner and take 10 timed minutes to think of 42 ideas on one topic or problem. Even if you don’t quite reach the goal, there will surely be at least a couple gems out of what you come up with. 

Click here to read the Inc.com article.