It’s our inclination to think that things everywhere are like they are where we are.

Gravity is like that. It is everywhere. Consequently, we think of gravity as a powerful force that keeps us glued to the ground and brings down huge airplanes. Actually, science tells us that gravity is a very weak force. In fact, it is the weakest fundamental force we know of in the universe.

To prove this to yourself, go to a children’s toy shop and buy one of those little 50-cent horseshoe magnets. Then put a paper clip on the ground. Place the magnet near the paper clip. You now have two competing forces — the electro-magnetic force of the little magnet versus the gravitational force of the entire Earth. The magnet wins. The electro-magnetic force is actually 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times stronger than gravity.

But because gravity is all around us, we think of it as a strong force.

The same is true of the internet. Most advertising and marketing people have come to believe that because the internet has become pervasive in our lives, it must be a strong advertising force. So far it has not been.

I’ve found there’s really one big secret to reliably coming up with good ideas. And it’s this: to only think about the problem. And to never rack your brain for ideas. It might sound odd but it makes sense. A lot of people, when faced with a creative challenge, panic and start desperately searching for solutions to a problem they never really defined to themselves. So they literally don’t know what they’re looking for. And it spirals from there.

By purely focusing on the problem you are subconsciously building up a very clear picture of what the solution will look like. So you know what a solution will look like when it comes time to come up with ideas/solutions. Because ideas are cheap and may not solve the problem. Solutions are valuable. So don’t come up with ideas, come up with solutions.

And coming up with solutions should be done at the last minute. Sorry, but that’s just how it works.