Go for quantity first

Aim for a high number of ideas; the best ones tend to come later in the list.

Why it works

Your first ideas are the most obvious and accessible; the original ones live further down, after the easy defaults are exhausted. Pushing for sheer quantity forces you past the obvious into the novel region, which is why a quota outperforms a vague “think of some ideas.” Volume is the path to originality, not a substitute for it.

How to do it

1. Set a specific, ambitious quota (e.g. 30 ideas, not “a few”).
2. Keep going past the point where it feels like you’re out of ideas — that’s where novelty starts.
3. Count quantity as the goal of this phase; quality is the next phase’s job.

Evidence

Supported by the “equal-odds” style observation that quantity of output predicts the number of high-quality ideas, and by findings that originality tends to rise later in an idea sequence. Reported as a general pattern. (observational)

Quantity raises the odds of a good idea but doesn’t manufacture quality from nothing; without varied inputs, more ideas can just mean more of the same.

Common mistake

Stopping at the first “good enough” idea, which is almost always one of the obvious early ones rather than the more original later ones.