Exaptation: look for how a tool or skill in one context could serve a different one

Ask of any existing skill, tool, or process you already use: "What else could this do that it was not designed for?"

Why it works

Exaptation, borrowed from evolutionary biology, refers to the repurposing of a structure or feature for a function it was not originally selected for — feathers evolved for thermoregulation before they enabled flight. Johnson argues that many innovations are exaptive: a solution in one domain gets repurposed for a different adjacent problem. Deliberately scanning existing assets for exaptive potential widens the adjacent possible without requiring new resources.

How to do it

1. List five skills, tools, or processes you use regularly in their "home" context.
2. For each, ask: "Where else could this exact capability be applied? What adjacent problem does it almost solve?"
3. Try one exaptive application per month: use a familiar tool in a genuinely new context.
4. Document whether the repurposing works, partially works, or reveals a new need.

Evidence

The concept of exaptation in technological and cultural innovation is well documented in science and technology studies, with Gutenberg’s printing press (adapted from wine press technology) as a canonical example. Whether deliberately cultivating exaptive thinking improves individual creative output has not been experimentally isolated. (mechanistic)

Exaptation as a historical pattern in innovation is well supported; the individual practice of deliberately scanning for exaptive uses is a principled extension without direct trial evidence.

Common mistake

Looking for skills to exapt that are impressive or special, rather than mundane ones — the most useful exaptations are often from the most ordinary capabilities, precisely because they are highly practiced.