Don't try to brainstorm with just a cold start. This is like breaking out into a full run without a light jog first! Do a quick exercise that gets your head in that space, such as making a menu for your next week's worth of dinners, or coming up with a wish list of things you'd like to accomplish in work, school, or whatever it is you're doing. Put yourself in the shoes of your competitor, looking at what you're doing now and trying to figure out how to be better than you. How would they look at what you're doing and do things better? What would they change? Where would they go next? Giving yourself new roadblocks to reaching your goals, such as a lower budget, a new deadline, or a specific material to be used, can make you more creative and innovative. It may even give you an idea if you couldn't come up with one before. Mind maps are one of the most popular brainstorming techniques. This is where you write down an idea (or several!) on a notecard. Pin the notecard to a wall and then build on the idea. Write down every little thing you think of and start connecting the ideas. Create three categories: easy ideas, tough ideas, and crazy ideas. Try to come up with at least five ideas for each category. Usually, in coming up with ideas we think we can't or shouldn't actually carry out, we find ourselves with ideas that we actually can use. , analysis, or review. Write a poem that describes what you're trying to do. You can also write a theoretical analysis or review of the thing you're hoping to create. By outlining what you're hoping to get out of the project, you may have an easier time thinking of ways to do it. Take something you've done before, a long time ago, and find a way to update it. You can also take old concepts that aren't yours and find a way to bring them into this era. For example, Twitter was basically telegrams for the internet. Some of the most popular products right now make use of classic designs. Online idea generators can be really helpful in getting you started, even if it's just used as a warm-up. Don't feel burdened by or tied to the ideas that it gives you, but try to use them as a jumping-off point. Try this: http://ideagenerator.creativitygames.net/ Always ask questions. Ask questions of yourself. Ask questions of the people you're brainstorming with. Ask questions of your friends and family members. Questions lead us to really think through things that we might have glazed over in our minds. Ask detailed questions and questions that really get at the heart of the issue. And don't go for the short, obvious answer. Why do I want to paint with oils? Why does my customer want this product? You can even incorporate these questions into your mind map. You won't have all the answers yet because you're just starting your project, but you will be able to chart your thoughts. There are lots of little exercises, like mind maps, that can be really useful. But a lot of the time they're also a distraction and can hold you back from really getting work done. Don't waste too much time on brainstorming activities, and instead try to just get down to business as quickly as possible. Freewriting is where you start writing and you just don't stop. This also involves some free association, where you naturally follow the course that your thoughts take instead of trying to direct the current. Just write down a sentence that deals with the topic you're trying to brainstorm on and then follow your brain, writing down every word that ambles through your internal dialogue without stopping to think. You never know where it will lead you!
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Warm up. Change your perspective. Introduce roadblocks. Make a mind map. Create idea categories. Write a poem Bring an old technique into the new age. Use an online idea generator. Keep asking questions. Don't waste time. Do some free-writing.

Studying mystical writings and tomes is an essential way to learn about the lives of the mystics. Each tradition will have a wide variety of different mystics and different dogmas, and it's important to get some sense of the scope of different writings. Everything starts to seem interconnected and becomes more alike than different: Thomas Merton's No Man is an Island St. Augustine's Confessions of St. Augustine The Cloud of Unknowing, written anonymously Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love DT Suzuki's An Introduction to Zen Buddhism The Nasruddin Stories from the Sufic tradition Mystical practice is a combination of self-imposed meditation and contemplation and the specific guidelines of your religion or other practice. Each religious life will be different, because each religious person is different. Deciding what's most important to you and your practice is a decision that only one person can make. You. For some mystical Christians, living life as close to the way Christ lived is the most important aspect of practicing. For others, spreading the gospel is essential. Both ways of thinking can lead to mysticism and deep appreciations of the spiritual world. Mystics aren't part-time. Whatever your deep connection to religion and the big questions, it needs to be your biggest priority in life. Not your job, your family, or your hobbies. Your connection with the cosmos needs to be your biggest commitment. For many people, being a mystic is an entirely solitary life. Most mystics are monastic for a reason. If you want to be a mystic, it's hard to go out on Saturday night and have fun. Are you up to the challenge to commit? Part of Zen meditation revolves around letting go of these big concerns and embracing the void. For the mystic, that void should be your living room. Trusting in your instincts and diving into the biggest questions has a tendency to lead to even more questions than answers. It could either be frustrating or liberating to realize that you might never know what will happen after you die, or whether or not you're really "right" about your way of interpreting the world.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Read the writings of the mystics in your tradition. Identify the central tenants of your practice. Make your spiritual practice your main priority. Embrace mystery.

Release the blade lever and move the base plate that surrounds the saw until 2 inches (5.1cm) of the saw is exposed. Once the blade is the right depth, tuck your finger under the shoe with your index finger to hold it steady and tighten the blade lever. Always unplug the circular saw before adjusting blade depth. If you're having trouble setting the right depth, find a long piece of wood 2 inches (5.1cm) thick and use it as a guide. to a 15-amp circular saw. Attach a pair of vice grips to the edge of the old blade so that it can't move. Use a wrench to remove the center bolt holding the blade in place. Afterward, remove the small rim (also known as the flange) underneath it and take out the old blade. Attach a diamond blade so that the teeth point in the opposite direction of movement. Reattach the flange and retighten the bolt. If the diamond blade is moving around while you're screwing it on, attach vice grips to it. Use dry-cutting diamond blades if you're making a series of cuts that increase in depth. Invest in wet-cutting diamond blades if you want to make fast, clean cuts and you have a compatible saw. Do not over tighten the blade-locking nut. Get on your hands and knees and face the chalk line at a 45-degree angle. Grip the front-most handle of the blade with your dominant hand and use it to guide the saw. Use your dominant hand to grip the back handle and push the blade forward and backward. Begin cutting at the edge of the concrete and slowly follow the chalk line. Don't press the blade into the groundlet the weight of the blade and saw do the work. Remove the blade every 30 to 45 seconds to avoid overheating. If you're not using a wet-cutting diamond blade and the saw is gas powered, pour water onto your blade as you cut to reduce dust and blade temperature. A garden hose that is set very low is perfect for this. Always wear eye protection when using a circular saw.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Set the blade depth of your circular saw to 2 inches (5.1cm). Attach a 7 inch (18cm) diamond blade Saw along the lines with the circular saw.