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Summary of Thinkertoys 

4.5 . 703 reviews

Short summary

Developing creative solutions to problems is not a luxury reserved for geniuses alone. In Thinkertoys, Michael Michalko, a creativity expert who has led NATO Intelligence specialists to develop political, military, and social solutions to problems, reveals how everyone can develop creative-thinking skills. With the right tools, you can begin to provide brilliant solutions to problems of all sorts. You’ll gain fresh perspectives that will transform your personal and professional life. What you’ll find are puzzles, tricks, stories, and prompts that will open your mind to new possibilities. You’ll realize that no box should contain your thinking. Endless ideas and suggestions pour into your mind once you’re untethered from conventional thinking patterns — a promise that this summary will fulfill. “Creators are joyful and positive. Creators look at ‘what is’ and ‘what can be’ instead of ‘what is not.’ Instead of excluding possibilities, creators include all possibilities, both real and imagined.” ~ Michael Michalko

Table of content

  • Summary of Thinkertoys
  • About the author
  • What is Thinkertoys about?
  • Who should read Thinkertoys
  • Topics in Thinkertoys
first key point

In times of stress and danger, everyone behaves either as a kitten or a baby monkey

Listen the first key point
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A kitten freezes in time and space in the face of danger while it cries for help until the mother comes to its rescue. Conversely, a baby monkey runs towards its mother when it senses danger and latches on to her back to be taken to safety. Thinkertoys are useful to those willing to embrace the attitude of the baby monkey. But, if you have a kitten attitude, you can also learn how to switch to a proactive mode of thinking.
Your creative skills come from being proactive and positive about yourself.
Your disposition is a choice you have the power to make. While there are many choices that we can’t make ourselves, our attitude isn’t one of them. No one chooses their parents or siblings, and no one knows how or when they will die. What we can choose is how we live between birth and death. Creative people are those who choose to be the subject rather than the object of their lives — they choose “I” over “me.”

The Thinkertoys in this summary will challenge you to change your perspective to become creative. You will begin to see a wider range of possibilities where you formerly saw one or none.
You will find yourself looking at the same information everyone else is looking at yet seeing something different. This new and different way of seeing things will lead you to new ideas and unique insights. ~ Michael Michalko
Thinkertoys are creative-thinking strategies grouped into two broad categories — linear and intuitive. Linear strategies encourage you to develop fresh perspectives from existing ideas, while intuitive strategies will teach you how to use your imagination to generate ideas.

What will this knowledge help you achieve? You’ll be able to:
• Generate fresh ideas for making money.
• Develop business solutions.
• Tinker with existing ideas until you develop a more effective and efficient version.
• Become invaluable to the people in your personal and professional life.
• Bring new life to existing industries.
• Increase productivity.

It is not enough to read about the techniques; you must apply them to maximize benefit. That is why you need to be a baby monkey. But how do you switch from being a kitten to become a baby monkey? This summary provides an answer and contains simple techniques to help you generate solutions to problems.
second key point

You become creative by crushing your self-doubt, developing the creative mentality, and redefining your problems

To develop a creative mindset, you must surmount your fears, uncertainties, and doubts (FUDS). Admit that you have FUDS, identify them, and let your mind focus on finding a replacement for them. This focus will come from two cardinal beliefs:
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third key point

Reframe challenges as opportunities and determine if the possibility is worth pursuing

fourth key point

Active thinking is the use of both sides of the brain to develop ingenious solutions to complicated situations

fifth key point

Reorganizing existing ideas can help you find more efficient ways to solve problems

sixth key point

When you need to create original ideas, intuitive thinkertoys help you dig within yourself to extract solutions

seventh key point

Conclusion

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What is Thinkertoys about?

Who should read Thinkertoys

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.