The best applications for the development of creativity and creative work

Technologies can be useful and help us to express their creative ideas only when we manage them, but do not go at them on occasion.

I decided to tell you about an application that uses in his work, and my job - to help people and companies to develop creativity.

A few tips for effective creative work

Before you grab the phone or open the browser in an effort to pump creativity, it is important to remember:

• New ideas are born only when we allow the brain to process information without any stimulation. And it has become a luxury in today's world, we are always 'on'. As once said Steven Spielberg, technology violate our ability to think, dream or imagine amazing, because we are too busy, buried in the phone on the way from the cafeteria to the office.
• For creative work better plan "off" from the gadgets, even if it is only 30-40 minutes a day. At this time, you will be more productive than expected.
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• Interrupts and switch. A short walk without a phone, a short meditation, any aspect of the activity without stimulation to solve your problem to help you to be more creative. You do not seem to do anything, and the brain continues to work. That is, you simply can not prevent him from working. :)

8 creative tools

In this collection includes applications that help me to work on projects to structure thoughts, look for associations and think. I hope to help you too.

And a little advice.

Pick up a smart phone and remove any applications you do not use more than two months (there are exceptions, but they are no more than 20%).

For the development of visual thinking

Working on a difficult task, it is better to fix ideas on paper to write or paint.

I talked with many people who claim they do not use visual thinking, because I can not draw. But this does not need to be able to draw like an artist. Sketch diagram mental map man consisting of circles and rods may all.

Ordinary notebook, notebook or album sheet - the ideal tool for visual thinking. But they are not always at hand, and the smartphone is (unfortunately) almost always.

MindLine

It allows you to quickly create a mind map (mind map), and then send a file or a link to her colleagues.

Can be used both at the stage of generating ideas (divergent thinking) And at the stage of detailed design of the selected ideas and find solutions (convergent thinking).

The app is free and is actively developing, there are versions for iOS and Android. Recently, you can send a link to a web version of your card. Developer from China, so do not be put off by the Chinese in the browser-based version.

In my opinion - the best of today, I use it almost daily. Try it and you.

MindLine →

RealtimeBoard

Service for both single and team work on projects - a cool online board for visual thinking. It allows to work together to draw circuit, mental maps, gluing stickers and communicate with each other.

The results can be exported in different file formats. In the free version has a limit, but for personal use or a very small team, they are not critical.

Can be used at all stages of the project: to understand the client's wishes, idea generation, Selecting the best and voting, the development of visual prototypes (mockups), presentation of the project and so on.

The service has a convenient and pleasant interface, a lot of cool features and templates. I work in it over their creative incubator Creative Happens and several other projects.

RealtimeBoard →

To work with the associations

Associative thinking - the basis of most methods of generating ideas and solutions, it requires constant development outlook and training.

I'll tell you about a few apps that help me work with associations.

Rory's Story Cubes

Cubes for inventing stories. The project was started on Kickstarter as a set of physical blocks, and then there was a mobile app.

On each face of the cube is a picture that can serve as an incentive to search for random associations.

You can take these rules and can come up with your own. For example, to search for solutions through leading questions: "How I can help the object that I see?" Or "What if my problem could be solved with the help of this?".

Can be used on stage, warm-up before the brainstorming or during the generation of ideas. And yet it's a cool game for a small company. Classic rules are: to throw 3 to 9 cubes, and for a limited time to make the image of the fallen history that begins with the word "One." My version of the rules: throwing 9 dice, write to each of the image association, and then from the 9 words make a mini-story.

rhymes

This free app (there are versions for Windows and iOS) - a powerful source of inspiration. It makes it easy to pick up a rhyme, synonym or epithet, learn lexical meaning and the pronunciation of the word, see examples of its use. This is a universal vocabulary tool that will be useful not only to those who work with Russian texts.

I use the "Rhymes" for workouts before brainstorming and generating ideas with the help of associations and analogies.

setting an example to search for association - write a poem with rhyming lines 12-16 to the keyword from your task or problem. First, you define a keyword, then select a rhyme, writes poetry, reads it. It is very interesting to work in a group of 5-6 people.

But for writers, copywriters and editors at all indispensable application.

"Rhymes» →

Brainsparker

Associative cards with tips for brainstorming. I am watching the development of the project since its inception. The application is very pleasant and easy.

In Brainsparker have quotes, single words, images and the ability to load new collections. Optimal use to search for associations at the stage of generating ideas.

At one time I used it for morning Free writing - as an external momentum.

Brainsparker →

For the development of cognitive flexibility

Cognitive flexibility (Eng. cognitive flexibility) - the ability to switch from one thought to another, and also to think about several things at the same time. It plays a key role in learning and the ability to solve complex problems.

Puzzles, crossword puzzles, sudoku, chess, Checkers, Go, IQ-tests, puzzles and more - it's all about the cognitive flexibility, skill to think flexibly and quickly to make decisions after the initial conditions have changed.

Today, dozens of available "brain trainers" - applications that offer to solve logical problems and puzzles daily. My choice fell on a number of separate tools.

Table Schulte

Tables Schulte - a table with randomly distributed sites (typically numbers or letters). They are used to develop and test the speed of such objects in a certain order. By working with these tables, you will improve peripheral vision.

Schulte table is typically used to train the fast reading skill.

Almost all applications with Schulte tables have more or less the same functionality. They show a table, and you need Tapan at the numbers or letters in a certain order, from A to Z, from 1 to 10. I opted for a simple and visually pleasing app for iOS from our compatriot (for Android, there are other options).

To get the effect, I recommend to give this practice daily for 5-7 minutes, and after 5-6 months, you will be surprised how fast reading.

Really Bad Chess

Once, on the recommendation of Igor Mann found the coolest and crazy chess from Zach Gage. I used to refer to chess is cool, but everything changed after Really Bad Chess.

On the board placed a random set of figures. You can have 5 Queens, 4 elephant, 6 Rooks and one king. And not the fact that you can beat the opponent, because it is not such a disposition.

The game is very interesting. And yet the number of matches per day is limited, it does not give you the possibility to get stuck all day in the game, but it certainly will form the habit every day to open the app.

Most likely, after a couple of months playing Really Bad Chess you install conventional chess and try to play them. I tried, but came back to the "bad chess."

Rebus +

It is very beautiful and do develop an application. What more can be said about a game that looks stylish and makes your brain to move?

Solving puzzles, in addition to entertainment features, it brings many benefits for intellectual development: expansion of horizons, increase vocabulary, logic training, associative thinking and intuition.

With this app, you need to be careful - it can tighten. Therefore it is better to set yourself puzzles quota for the day. And in the game longer to play, and the effect will be better.

Longer life hacking tools and for the development of creativity - in the articles listed below.