Playing Hunches

Have you ever thought out a problem and then decided to 'play a hunch'?
Or have you worked on a problem for days or weeks, and after 'sleeping on it' came up with a great answer?
Better yet, have you heard somebody encourage you to 'write your ideas' in a notebook?

If this is you, Dear Reader, you're in good company!
Literary detectives -- from Sam Spade to Sgt. Friday to DCI Morse -- work with hunches all the time, as do their professional counterparts who strive to solve real-life cases.
After 'sleeping on a problem,' you may think of an excellent solution that now seems simple and logical.
And, if you're like me, you can't keep your important ideas (not to mention your calendar!) in your memory.
I’m reading an audio book, ‘Where Good Ideas Come From’, by Steven Johnson.
He discusses for the origin of innovation and seeks to determine what kind of environments are the best producers of ideas.
Most big ideas — or, should I say, the Big Ideas such as these of Charles Darwin, 'Origin of Species, or of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the 'world wide web' -- did not suddenly arrive in a flash, or epiphany.
They often percolated in their minds, notebooks or conversations for years, or even decades.
In his theory, Johnson explores the origin of innovation and seeks to determine what kind of environments are the best producers of ideas.
He identifies seven common patterns of idea formation:
The Adjacent Possible, ideas that are closely related;
Liquid Networks, ideas discussed with peers in coffee-houses or bars;
The Slow Hunch, where ideas are mulled over;
Serendipity**;
Error;
Exaptation; and
Platforms.
(**Remember, Dear Reader, I'm still reading the book.)
Ultimately, it is the connections made within the mind that give rise to good ideas.
He encourages us to:
-- 'make our own coral reef,' the metaphor from Darwin during his meticulous studies and copious note-taking, to make connections in our minds;
-- allow our minds to wander, so that the brain (even during sleep) gathers, explores and rearranges possibilities of connections you haven’t thought of;
-- share our insights with others, to build on their ideas as well as our own; and
-- break from the routine, which leads to new perspectives.
It's a fascinating book on many levels.
I invite you to read it, and check out Johnson's 'TED Talk,
as well as the excellent Summary by Vanessa Case.
Finally, I tend to agree with one of his reviewers, who stated: 'This is one of very few books in recent years about which I felt impending sadness as I began to read the final chapter.'