We are often told that if we want to be creative or to solve new problems, we need to think outside the box. That advice sounds reasonable, but what does a person actually need to do to think outside the box? Perhaps even those who give this advice don’t truly know the answer. What we do know is that there are times when we think in habitual ways, going in circles without leading anywhere. In such moments, we want a breakthrough, something creative in thinking that can free us from the deadlock. So what does it really mean to think outside the box? Before understanding this, we need to ask: why do we think inside the box in the first place? And what exactly is this “box” people refer to?
We store in our minds countless memories, experiences, pieces of information, viewpoints, and knowledge we have learned. All of these are records. When a person interacts with a problem, the mind brings out relevant records to respond to what we are facing.
This action is a natural instinct of the mind, reinforced by our environment. In school, we are trained to do exactly this: memorize knowledge and use it to produce answers. We treat what we have learned and memorized as correct, and when facing a problem, we rely on what is already in our minds. Over time, this becomes a habit, when encountering a problem, we search for answers within our existing knowledge. The thoughts and answers created in this way are based on pre-existing data, so they are repetitive and limited by our prior understanding.
This way of thinking is useful for certain task, those that are repetitive, technical, specialized, or require fixed knowledge. But for entirely new problems, those requiring creative solutions or flexibility and adaptability, this approach can give rise to many obstacles in adapting to circumstances and finding solutions.
With what we already know, we can analyze problems and operate within established frameworks that already have answers. But relying solely on knowledge and experience, things derived from past data, to deal with new problems that we don’t truly understand, problems that don’t follow known pattern can makes it difficult to receive and understand them. This is especially true for issues related to the mind, people, and relationships.
From a young age, for more than a decade, we are trained to absorb knowledge given by others and to equate memorizing more and knowing more with being intelligence. We tend to accumulate knowledge without evaluating its accuracy. We reason based on what we already know. We often view and judge new things through the lens of the old, forcing explanations of the new to fit what we already believe is correct. We are taught how to do things right, how to live “right”, and are given advice with the expectation that we follow it. We readily accept answers simply because many people say they are correct. We rarely take time to reflect on what we hear or question what we know. Even when we truly struggle to handle problems and face contradictions between what we believe and what actually happens, we still cling stubbornly to the knowledge we value. We don’t question answers that “sound right,” nor do we deeply examine viewpoints that are widely accepted, because few people around us do so.
A person can approach every aspects of life with this way of thinking without understanding its limits or when it is appropriate. Over time, habits form, we gradually think less deeply, and grow comfortable only taking in information that aligns with what we already know. This is how the box is formed and reinforced.
So does thinking outside the box come from trying to think of different ideas? Is thinking differently simply thinking in opposition to existing ideas?
Trying to come up with different ideas is still an act of searching within existing records. Thinking in opposition to existing ideas is the same. Thoughts produced this way may appear new, but funamentally, they are still rooted in the old. In some cases, such thinking may offer solutions. But it certainly cannot solve all new problems. Because there are problems require us to completely set aside our existing knowledge, opinions, and assumptions in order to truly understand them.
When we temporarily put aside viewpoints, biases, and rules, and focus on observing a problem with fresh eyes, new insights naturally arise. Creativity emerges when we question the very things we take to be true, what is assumed or imposed as correct. When we are not attached to any particular theory or viewpoint, the limits, barriers, and constraints fall away, and with that comes freedom. This freedom in observation brings us closer to reality, closer to life where new things are constantly unfolding. By understanding the situation, the problem, our own habitual patterns of action, and the mind itself, the new arises. Observing what is happening right before our eyes without mental constraints allows a person to see things outside the box.
So what must we do to see outside the box? Observing ourselves thinking inside the box is the act of seeing outside the box. Judging or commenting that we are thinking inside the box and then trying to think differently is still the act of thinking inside the box.