And what is more suitable then htan a post on getting ideas. The tools and the structures we can play with.
It is a long running interest of mine, and was part of the underpinning for my final paper during my MSc degree - what mindsets combined with our culture fit the need for structure vs creativity? (just a few HBR links - 15 years has a changed a lot, yet in many ways not changed a thing)
I found a link to this first version ebook on List making - it seems to be the lastes post at the blog, so either he pivoted, or it worked well enough as is, since it is from mid 2011.
In general, the process and flow reminds me a bit of mind mapping; exploring each dimension, one question or facet at a time - and then grouping it back up and connecting the "dots"
- what do i know about X
- what don't i know
- how can it be reframed
- how can you split it up
- ...
What works for you is likely to change over time. Like with work outs, the need to shake it up over time to continue getting the "ROI" is present in creativity and business processes.
And it depends a bit on the question at hand compared to your normal flow. If you are doing a lot of calculations in general, then a scoring model, assigning points to ideas and areas will probably be a better fit than a more descriptive method.
But if you are all about rewriting to get the tone right, then methods based around combinations, topics and perhaps scenario write ups might give a better flow than trying to put numbers where there are none.
