Management guru Kenichi Ohmae came up with this idea generation tool. Ask yourself the following questions, one at a time. Take a few minutes to write down the answers to each before you go on to the next one.
What's it going to be like 5 years from now?
1. Mobile Phone
2. Living Room
3. Personal Computer
4. My company
5. My family
6. My personal value
Kenichi-san's point is that it's easier to be creative about something you're not deeply involved with. (So if you work in the mobile phone industry, start with something else!). But once your mind gets used to thinking creatively, you can slowly progress to more important things. Worked for me.
Snake Coffee » How will you share the earth with 9 billion neighbours? said
[...] There's plenty of food for thought there – what are the implications of a world population of 9 billion for you, especially if you work in the Housing, Transportation, Agricultural or Health sectors! Try applying Kenichi-san's Questions to these scenarios for some good answers. [...]