The Daily Think

Taken from the Creative Whack Pack Roger von Oech

Ever have those big projects or problems that just sit in your craw

and are unable to be solved? Ever have a block that couldn’t be overcome as you stared at a problem or project and didn’t know where to start? Ever just get intimidated by the mere mention of your problem or see it as the Email Subject and just feel that migraine creep up on you? There may be a respond to these nightmare scenarios above, and it’s a simple one for you and your team, RENAME YOUR PROJECT/PROBLEM.

I will admit that I can save you some time by simply re-stating that last sentence and you can be on your way to fixing and addressing your project, but I want to make sure I provide some support as to why a RENAME works well in most cases.

Just for some background, I do recommend picking up the Creative Whack Pack from Roger von Oech, mentioned earlier. An effective tool that can be used to help you work through probems, writers block, creative blocks, any block that you might need to overcome. Link

Okay, renaming your project from SAP Integration to Project Bing Bong makes it sound whimsical and fun, and may help you think more creatively and outside the norms you are used to. But does it work only in office settings? Does it work when you want lose weight, quit smoking, upgrade your house? Certainly! But how about some tougher scarier situations like health scares like Cancer? I will have to defer to a book by John Diamond “C: Because Cowards get Cancer too” in which the author gets throat cancer and has to deal with it. One of the tactics he used was renaming and reframing his experience with cancer is an example of how individuals facing serious health challenges sometimes use language and humor to maintain a positive outlook and take control of their circumstances. This approach can be empowering and help individuals navigate their journey through illness with greater resilience.

Now renaming something is not going to solve the problem 100% of the time, but next time you got that challenge or block in front of you and want to try a fresh approach, give it a new name and see what happens!