Critical thinking and creative thinking are often at odds. That is, when we try to come up with ideas to solve a problem, our nerd-brains like to butt in on our creative-brains to say “no no, that won’t work and here’s why”.
Instead, keep the nerd-brain and the creative-brain separated when you need to come up with ideas. Brainstorm first, evaluate later. Make a list of crazy ideas with your creative-brain, then come back to it later with your nerd-brain to sort out what’s good.
To put it another way, a famous quote comes to mind: “Write drunk, edit sober.”
