People love collaboration and I’m no exception. But don’t see collaboration with the outcome of meaningful and creative work.
Collaboration is a tool to achieve a goal.
Despite overwhelming evidence that collaborative brainstorming is a waste of time it continues to be used because it feels intuitivsely right to do so.
Sitting alone doesn’t look like. Even more when not sitting in front of a computer. However, I’ve found that the best ideas to solve a problem come when I’m away from the computer.
My process for solving problems and brainstorming often looks like this
Load my brain with all the context of a problem.
Step away from the computer and go live — do the dishes, go for a run, vacuum the carpet.
Once potential solutions distill in my mind, go back to my desk and write them down or sketch them out.
Prepare a presentation, demo, or prototype to convey my idea to others and gather their feedback
Rinse & repeat.
See for yourself. Try it out. The feeling of being away from the computer will feel strange at first, because that our image of what a productive day looks like. But I promise you that you’ll be more productive and creative.