The Eureka Factor summary

At some point, you’ve probably seen an invention and thought, “I could have thought of that!” But you didn’t.

These kinds of great insights may not look that impressive or creative after the fact, they are crucial because they already provide a breakthrough of some kind.

Insights are so beneficial to us, so why do they so seldom occur? It’s because we’re designed to be rational.

Parts of our brain have developed in a way that make our lives simpler by reducing the need to predict and question. Insights, however, challenge them.

The next time you’re about to knock on the bathroom door to tell your partner to hurry up and get out of the shower, give it a second thought; this time might be more valuable than you think. Some of our best insights happen in the shower. But why?

Insights only surface when distractions are under control. And the shower is a place that hides distractions! The white noise of the water covers other sounds, the feel of the water envelops our sense of touch and we’re therefore free to focus our mind and think about our problems.

There are two main ways employers seek to improve productivity and creativity. There is the Google way, which involves creating an environment of freedom, play and expression, and there is the traditional route of imposing deadlines and pressuring employees to work harder. Which do you think is more conducive to creativity?

Whereas the freedom to think can stimulate insight, anxiety will always dampen your ability to have insight.

You probably know people who always seem to come up with creative, savvy ideas, and others who seem rigid in their thinking and can’t seem to think outside the box.

Why does this variation exist? To find out, we can look to genetics.

You may be thinking that it’s all well and good that ancient Greek thinkers and the geniuses of our time can enjoy regular revelations. But even if you’re not the most insightful person, don’t worry – you can do something about it.

For starters, you need the right type of motivation. Broadly speaking, there are two types of motivation: the drive to keep away from something, such as rotten food, and the motivation to move towards some kind of reward, such as a promotion at work.