How to Be More Innovative in Life

Rebecca Lewis March 04, 2014

Innovation is not only crucial in the field of science or business. It is also important in many other areas, particularly in life and success. Being innovative means having the ability to come up with better solutions, and this skill can make you a winner in life.

Before he passed away, Richard Hamming, an American mathematician whose work has many implications in computer science and telecommunications, gave a talk about what factors determine why scientists do or do not make significant contributions. Whilst he focused on the areas of science, Hamming has pointed out ideas that can contribute to our innovation and success in life. Here they are:

Prepare your mind.

Don’t think that success is just a matter of luck. To do first rate work, Hamming argued that people must drop any modesty and say to themselves “Yes, I would like to do something significant.” In order to reach success, you first have to prepare your mind for it. Have the courage to pursue your ideas. Believe that you can, and work hard to achieve your goals.

Change a defect into an asset.

Hamming wasn’t given the required human staff to write programs at Bell Labs. Whilst other companies would readily give him staff, he felt that “exciting people were at Bell Labs”, where he has worked for 30 years. A “defect” as it may seem, Hamming was able to turn it into an “asset”. He thought that machines could be able to write programs themselves, so he ventured into the field of automatic programming. If he had worked in such an ideal condition, he could have never arrived to this insight.

Focus on important people.

Humming liked to have lunch partners from different fields. At some days, he would eat at the physics table, other times, at the chemistry table. That’s because at the math table he wasn’t learning much.  During those stimulating lunches, he would ask about the important problems in their field, and what important problems they are working on.  What’s the lesson? Spend more time with people whom you can learn a lot from – they can help you find important problems to solve. And if you are solving a very important problem, don’t let anything distract you. That is if you want first-rate results.

Problems are opportunities.

Hamming notes “when an opportunity opens up, they get after it and pursue it… They get rid of other things and they get after an idea because they had already thought the thing through. Their minds are prepared; they see the opportunity and they go after it.” Don’t be afraid to seek problems, because that’s where innovation sparks. Have ideas of how to approach problems so when the opportunity comes, you know how to tackle it.

Keep your doors open.

Whilst working closed doors make you more productive and focused, Hamming argued that it may come a point when you don’t quite know what problems are worth working on.  He sensed that people with an “open door” tended to do important things, whereas people with a “closed door” often worked harder, but on slightly the wrong thing. To find innovative solutions, don’t just confine yourself with what you know, or what people from your field know. Like Hamming, have stimulating lunches with people who excel in areas you don’t. You have so much to learn from them, so do you.

Small problems could spark large ideas.

Hamming notes that a downfall of many famous scientists is that they can no longer work on smaller problems, which have as strong potential as the bigger ones in creating significant, life-changing ideas. Don’t just set those little problems aside. You never know which one will grow into the next big idea.

Knowledge and productivity are like compound interest.

Hamming contends that knowledge and productivity are like compound interest. “Given two people of approximately the same ability and one person who works ten percent more than the other [consistently over time], the latter will more than twice out produce the former.” It is possible to be greater than your teacher. Bur you have to work more than he did. Sometimes, you need to let go of smaller things and make sacrifices to get bigger things done. Don’t get tired learning and make sure you are making use of your time wisely. The result is worth all the effort and hard work.

What do you think are some common traits of innovative people? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.