There's no doubt about it. Times are tough right now. The economy is tanking, jobs are insecure, and the holidays are right around the corner.

毫无疑问，现在时局艰难。经济状况下跌，工作不稳定，节日即将来临。

This is probably one of the hardest times to think of ideas. After all, the more stressed people are, the less able they are to think creatively.

大概目前也是最难想出点子的时候。毕竟，人们的压力越大，创造性思考能力就越弱。

Unfortunately, just because it's hard to think of ideas, that doesn't mean that you can just forget about creativity until times are better. In fact, now's the time when great ideas are needed more than ever!

不幸地是，不能因为难以想出点子，你就可以把创造性抛在一旁，等时局变好了再去想它。事实上，此刻比任何时候都需要好点子！

So what do you do when you need to come up with a mind-blowing idea... and you're coming up blank? (Especially when there's a deadline and your boss is on your back?) What do you do at those times? How do you manage to come up with innovative¹ ideas when your well has run dry?

那么，当你需要一个出色的想法，头脑却一片空白的时候怎么办？(尤其当你有一个截止日期，还有在屁股后盯着你的老板) 那些时候你会做什么？在“创意之井”枯竭的时候，怎样想出有创意的点子?

The answer comes from a similar strategy used in drilling for oil.

其实，这策略和石油钻探中用到的方法类似。

You see, companies used to drill for oil by going straight down. For a long time, they used percussion² drilling - which basically means they hammered away at the ground to get as deep as they could get. But, no matter how hard they hammered, the well would eventually bottom out and the oil would dry up.

你瞧，过去石油公司常常采用垂直钻探。很长时间里他们用冲击钻井——基本上就是不停地砸地面，直到砸不动。但是，不论他们多么努力，最终，油井会打到底，油会干枯。

Then, companies turned to rotary³ drilling, where drills would churn down to the earth, making a deeper hole. That was more efficient, since they could get further down and reach more oil. Drilling further down wasn't the best solution though, because eventually the well would go below the oil and hit rock bottom.

随后，石油公司采用了旋转钻探。钻头会钻入地表，钻出一个更深的洞。这个方法的效率更高，因为能挖地更深从而开采到更多石油。不过，钻地更深并不是最佳的策略，因为最终钻头会钻到油层以下，撞上底部岩石。

The real breakthrough came, however, when drilling companies realized how much they were missing. You see, oil deposits can stretch for miles - but when a drill went straight down, the well was only tapping oil from the immediate⁴ vicinity.

当钻探公司们发觉他们遗漏了多少石油后，技术才有了真正的突破。你瞧，石油储备区可能延绵数英里，但是当钻头垂直钻入时，油井只能开采到附近区域的一点石油。

So, the oil companies changed their tactics. Instead of drilling down for oil, they started drilling diagonally and even horizontally!

所以，石油公司改变了策略，他们不再朝下钻石油，而时开始采取对角式、甚至水平式钻取法！

This "directional drilling" has several advantages:

这种“定向钻取”的优势如下:

* It provides access to a large-cross section of a well, instead of just a narrow, vertical⁵ shaft⁶.

提供了一个大的油井截面，而不只是一个狭长竖井。

* It makes it possible to reach oil deposits that can't be reached vertically⁷ - like those under a town or a lake.

让人们可以获得在垂直方向上无法获取的石油资源，比如在城镇下方或湖下。

* It reduces the number of times oil rigs need to be moved. When one well runs dry, another can be drilled in another direction (instead of moving to a new spot).

减少了石油井架的搬运次数。当一口井干了，可以朝另一个方向钻新井（而不用挪到一个新的地方）。

Drilling horizontally opens up new oil resources that would otherwise go untapped. In other words, it can make dry wells fruitful again.

水平钻井法能获取原来无法获取的新的石油资源。换言之：这个方法让干枯的油井再一次充盈。

As creative thinkers, you can benefit from the exact same strategy. When your well goes dry, it's likely because you've been heading relentlessly⁸ in the same direction and drawing ruthlessly on your resources. This is the first thing people do when times are tough.

作为有创造力的人，你完全可以得益于这一策略。 你的“井”干枯可能是因为你一直都在不停地朝着同一个方向前进，“无情地”开采你的智慧资源。这是在困难时期人们立刻会去做的一件事。

The the oil companies can tell you why: it's because drilling straight down is a lot easier.

石油公司知道你为什么会这么做：因为垂直钻井容易多了。

But that well will eventually run out - and probably right when you need it. That's why it's important to be able to think "directionally" as well.

但是，那口井最终要干涸，而且很可能正当你需要它的时候，它就干涸了。这就是为什么发散思维也一样很重要。

So here are three ways you can start drilling your idea well horizontally:

下面的3个方法让你可以“平行钻探”创意之井:

1. Take a break and do something different for a while. Sometimes giving your brain a break will result in tons of creativity. That's why so many people get their best ideas when they're doing something else.

1. 休息一会儿，做些别的事情。有时休息过后，创造力会大量涌现。这就是为什么那么多人在做别的事情时想到了最好的点子。

But if that's not an option because you need ideas now...

但是如果这个方法行不通，因为你现在就需要想出个点子，那么......

2. Use a creativity technique designed to break you away from your normal thinking pattern. The Random⁹ Word technique, for example, will stretch your brain in many directions when it tries to associate a completely unrelated word with your challenge. So when you're stuck, try some Lateral¹⁰ Thinking, or get a Whack¹¹ on the Side of the Head.

借助一种专门用来打破正常思维模式、激发创造力的技巧。例如一种叫做Random Word的方法能让你思维向各个方向伸展，你能将完全不相关的词形成关联。所以，当你困住的时候，尝试一下Lateral Thinking或Whack on the Side of the Head.

But if you feel like you're totally out of ideas and just want them to be given to you...

可是如果你感到江郎才尽，只希望被动地得到一些点子，那么......

3. Make your challenge generic¹² and steal ideas from other areas. Velcro came from the hooks that stuck burrs to a dog's fur. Roll-on deodorant¹³ uses the same technology as the ballpoint pen. Figure out what you need to accomplish, and look for others who are doing the same thing... somewhere else.

让你的挑战“一般化”，然后从其他领域“窃取”点子。维可牢尼龙搭扣源自带倒刺的刺果，它们会粘在狗毛上； Roll-on 除味剂采用的技术和圆珠笔一样。了解自己要达到什么目标，在其它领域寻找同样的事物。

All three of those strategies will take your mind to new places and will break through your mental block. They work because they're not hammering away in the same direction over and over again - they're drilling out a new direction of thinking.

这三种策略将让你的思维带入新领域，将打破你的思维框。它们奏效是因为它们没有在朝一个方向不停锤打——而是朝一个新方向钻探。

So, even when times are tough and your idea well seems like it's reached rock bottom, it doesn't mean all hope for creativity is lost. It simply means you need to get rid of your tunnel vision and start searching in other directions.

所以，即便时局艰难，你觉得创意已经到了山穷水尽的地步，这并非没有希望再发挥创造力。这仅仅说明你不能做“井底之蛙”，而需要朝其它方向搜索。

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