Whether you see yourself as an inventor who makes new things or a member of the broader category of innovators who invent and/or improve things, you need to keep a journal.

How many times do you catch yourself saying, “There ought to be a ______________________?” There won’t be such a innovation if someone doesn’t make one. Name the need. Consider the possible solutions and play.

“If Necessity Is the Mother of Invention, Then Play Is Its Father,” reads the title of Megan Gambino’s Smithsonian magazine article about Steven Johnson’s book Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World. Whether you play with objects or words, reflecting on your play and recording your insights will help you to discover a new perspective. Write down what you discover.