No time for innovation? This little trick will shock you

Do you struggle with balancing your day-to-day work with coming up with new and innovative ideas? What if I told you there is a simple solution that doesn't cost anything?

Schedule time for it. Put it in your diary.

"But Bruno, my schedule is full! These back-to-back meetings are business critical! The business will collapse if I don't oversee every minute detail!"

Calm down, I'm not telling you to schedule 4-hour blocks or week-long retreats. Starting small is perfectly fine, and here is why.

Innovation is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't force great ideas. Therefore, developing a daily habit should be your first priority.

Here are twenty things you could do that take less than 10 minutes:

• Write down your idea.
• Think about what has to be true for the idea to work as intended.
• Think about some innovation you found cool. Write what and why.
• Write a pitch for something you wish you had right now.
• Draw an ideal version of your product or service.
• Speak with a customer. Email, chat, phone, whatever channel. Focus on understanding what are they trying to achieve with your product or service.
• Read customer complaints.
• Read forum where your customers hang out.
• Read five pages of that thing that's been dying for your attention for the past six months.
• Draw and/or write your idea. Crumple the paper, rip it apart, and throw it into garbage bin.
• Share your idea with a peer. Ask them to explain your idea back to you.
• Read one of my posts.
• Take a walk through the workplace. Try really hard to notice things you've never noticed before. Write down your observations.
• Think of a competitor who outperforms you in some segment. Deconstruct their flagship product. How does it fit into their business model? How about yours?
• Draw the flow of value in your organisation. Where is the customer?
• Go where the value is created. Sit and observe in silence. Take notes.
• Open your calendar and schedule 10 minutes every-day for the next four weeks. "No, this isn't my flexible time."
• Write down all the reasons your idea won't work.
• Imagine the future. Use all your senses. How does it sound like? Taste? Smell? Look? Feel?
• Play the devil's advocate for a successful idea, invention, or innovation you don't like.

I wrote above list in 180 seconds. I'm sure you could add twenty more. Open your calendar, and get to it.