Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Imaginable summary
Jane McGonigal
How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything – Even Things That Seem Impossible Today
26 mins
Brief summary
Imaginable by Jane McGonigal is a book about how to harness the power of your imagination and use it to solve real-world problems. It provides practical methods for improving creativity, focus, and resilience.
Table of Contents
Imaginable
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Learn to imagine the unimaginable.
Can you bear with me for a second? We’re going to do a little time traveling exercise. You can also grab a pen and paper and write things down. That could be helpful. I’ll wait till you have those.
Ready? Okay. Imagine yourself waking up tomorrow morning. Picture it in as much detail as you possibly can. Which room are you in? What woke you up – an alarm, a nudge? Is it light out? How do you feel? And now that you’re awake, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?
Cool – you just took your first mental time trip! Easy, right? Now let’s try it again. But this time, imagine waking up one year from today. Take a few seconds to vividly picture this future moment. Are you waking up somewhere different? Is someone else lying in bed next to you? Do you look or feel different? Has your morning routine after waking up changed?
How did that feel? Notice how easy – or hard – it was to think of the details.
Okay, last one: close your eyes, and this time, imagine waking up ten years from today. I know. This is a bit harder. I’ll give you a few seconds to really trace out where you are, who you are, who might be there with you, what you hear, smell, and feel, and what you’re going to do next.
So. How was all that? It was probably pretty effortless for you to picture waking up tomorrow morning. Expanding your imagination ten years ahead, on the other hand, might’ve been a bit harder – perhaps like you were grasping at thin air.
Stretching your imagination the way you just did is a really good practice – your brain has to invent a totally new reality instead of just remembering what it knows already. But see what you just did? You made the unimaginable imaginable!
You can use your “memory of the future” to plan and prepare for what’s to come. Revisit this memory as often as you want. Really focus on how it makes you feel. Does it spark joy? Does it fill you with dread? These so-called “pre-feelings” indicate whether you should change what you’re doing today to make a possible future more or less likely.
This kind of imagination – the mental ability to spring forward in time and pre-experience the future – is what scientists call episodic future thinking, or EFT. The name isn’t quite accurate though; you’re not just thinking about the future, you’re simulating it. Consider the difference between knowing it’ll be sunny tomorrow and actually imagining yourself in the sun, trying to pre-feel its warmth on your skin. The bright light blinding you. The smell of dry grass.
EFT includes asking yourself four specific questions: First, Where exactly am I in my future? Second, What’s true in this version of reality that isn’t true today? Third, What do I really want in this future moment, and how will I get it? And Fourth, How do I feel now that I’m here?
This tool helps you answer a simple but super powerful question: Is this a world I want to wake up in? And if the answer isn’t a resounding Yes! it helps you understand what you need to change in order to make it so.
Want to see all full key ideas from Imaginable?
Key ideas in Imaginable
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Imaginable about?
Imaginable (2022) lays out a simple but powerful premise: you have more control over the future than you may think. Through psychology-backed games, it explores how to train your imagination in order to transform your outlook on life and, ultimately, change the world. Its big-picture thinking and actionable exercises will help you prepare for – and get excited about – what’s to come.
Imaginable Review
Imaginable by Jane McGonigal gives readers a fascinating exploration of the power of imagination and its impact on our lives. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Filled with engaging case studies, it demonstrates how imagination can enhance creativity, problem-solving, and overall well-being.
- Backed by scientific research and expert insights, the book offers a deep understanding of the role imagination plays in shaping our reality.
- With its practical exercises and thought-provoking ideas, it encourages readers to tap into their own imagination to unlock their full potential.
Who should read Imaginable?
- People stuck in a spiral of doomsday thinking
- Action-oriented folks seeking an antidote to the world’s afflictions
- Anyone who thinks the future is just something that happens
Categories with Imaginable
Book summaries like Imaginable
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
31 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Imaginable FAQs
What is the main message of Imaginable?
The main message of Imaginable is to harness the power of our imaginations to create a better reality.
How long does it take to read Imaginable?
The reading time for Imaginable varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Imaginable a good book? Is it worth reading?
Imaginable is worth reading for its inspiring exploration of the transformative potential of imagination.
Who is the author of Imaginable?
The author of Imaginable is Jane McGonigal.
What to read after Imaginable?
If you're wondering what to read next after Imaginable, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Lead Like a Coach by Karen Morley
- SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
- 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman
- What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill
- 100 Ways to Change Your Life by Liz Moody