There's no doubt about it. Times are tough right now. The economy is tanking, jobs are insecure, and the holidays are right around the corner.

毫無疑問，現在時局艱難。經濟狀況下跌，工作不穩定，節日即將來臨。

This is probably one of the hardest times to think of ideas. After all, the more stressed people are, the less able they are to think creatively.

大概目前也是最難想出點子的時候。畢竟，人們的壓力越大，創造性思考能力就越弱。

Unfortunately, just because it's hard to think of ideas, that doesn't mean that you can just forget about creativity until times are better. In fact, now's the time when great ideas are needed more than ever!

不幸地是，不能因為難以想出點子，你就可以把創造性拋在一旁，等時局變好了再去想它。事實上，此刻比任何時候都需要好點子！

So what do you do when you need to come up with a mind-blowing idea... and you're coming up blank? (Especially when there's a deadline and your boss is on your back?) What do you do at those times? How do you manage to come up with innovative ideas when your well has run dry?

那么，當你需要一個出色的想法，頭腦卻一片空白的時候怎么辦？(尤其當你有一個截止日期，還有在屁股后盯著你的老板) 那些時候你會做什么？在“創意之井”枯竭的時候，怎樣想出有創意的點子?

The answer comes from a similar strategy used in drilling for oil.

其實，這策略和石油鉆探中用到的方法類似。

You see, companies used to drill for oil by going straight down. For a long time, they used percussion drilling - which basically means they hammered away at the ground to get as deep as they could get. But, no matter how hard they hammered, the well would eventually bottom out and the oil would dry up.

你瞧，過去石油公司常常采用垂直鉆探。很長時間里他們用沖擊鉆井——基本上就是不停地砸地面，直到砸不動。但是，不論他們多么努力，最終，油井會打到底，油會干枯。

Then, companies turned to rotary drilling, where drills would churn down to the earth, making a deeper hole. That was more efficient, since they could get further down and reach more oil. Drilling further down wasn't the best solution though, because eventually the well would go below the oil and hit rock bottom.

隨后，石油公司采用了旋轉鉆探。鉆頭會鉆入地表，鉆出一個更深的洞。這個方法的效率更高，因為能挖地更深從而開采到更多石油。不過，鉆地更深并不是最佳的策略，因為最終鉆頭會鉆到油層以下，撞上底部巖石。

The real breakthrough came, however, when drilling companies realized how much they were missing. You see, oil deposits can stretch for miles - but when a drill went straight down, the well was only tapping oil from the immediate vicinity.

當鉆探公司們發覺他們遺漏了多少石油后，技術才有了真正的突破。你瞧，石油儲備區可能延綿數英里，但是當鉆頭垂直鉆入時，油井只能開采到附近區域的一點石油。

So, the oil companies changed their tactics. Instead of drilling down for oil, they started drilling diagonally and even horizontally!

所以，石油公司改變了策略，他們不再朝下鉆石油，而時開始采取對角式、甚至水平式鉆取法！    

This "directional drilling" has several advantages:

這種“定向鉆取”的優勢如下:

* It provides access to a large-cross section of a well, instead of just a narrow, vertical shaft.

提供了一個大的油井截面，而不只是一個狹長豎井。

* It makes it possible to reach oil deposits that can't be reached vertically - like those under a town or a lake.

讓人們可以獲得在垂直方向上無法獲取的石油資源，比如在城鎮下方或湖下。

* It reduces the number of times oil rigs need to be moved. When one well runs dry, another can be drilled in another direction (instead of moving to a new spot).

減少了石油井架的搬運次數。當一口井干了，可以朝另一個方向鉆新井（而不用挪到一個新的地方）。

Drilling horizontally opens up new oil resources that would otherwise go untapped. In other words, it can make dry wells fruitful again.

水平鉆井法能獲取原來無法獲取的新的石油資源。換言之：這個方法讓干枯的油井再一次充盈。

As creative thinkers, you can benefit from the exact same strategy. When your well goes dry, it's likely because you've been heading relentlessly in the same direction and drawing ruthlessly on your resources. This is the first thing people do when times are tough.

作為有創造力的人，你完全可以得益于這一策略。 你的“井”干枯可能是因為你一直都在不停地朝著同一個方向前進，“無情地”開采你的智慧資源。這是在困難時期人們立刻會去做的一件事。

The the oil companies can tell you why: it's because drilling straight down is a lot easier.

石油公司知道你為什么會這么做：因為垂直鉆井容易多了。

But that well will eventually run out - and probably right when you need it. That's why it's important to be able to think "directionally" as well.

但是，那口井最終要干涸，而且很可能正當你需要它的時候，它就干涸了。這就是為什么發散思維也一樣很重要。

So here are three ways you can start drilling your idea well horizontally:

下面的3個方法讓你可以“平行鉆探”創意之井:

1. Take a break and do something different for a while. Sometimes giving your brain a break will result in tons of creativity. That's why so many people get their best ideas when they're doing something else.

1. 休息一會兒，做些別的事情。有時休息過后，創造力會大量涌現。這就是為什么那么多人在做別的事情時想到了最好的點子。

But if that's not an option because you need ideas now...

但是如果這個方法行不通，因為你現在就需要想出個點子，那么......

2. Use a creativity technique designed to break you away from your normal thinking pattern. The Random Word technique, for example, will stretch your brain in many directions when it tries to associate a completely unrelated word with your challenge. So when you're stuck, try some Lateral Thinking, or get a Whack on the Side of the Head.

借助一種專門用來打破正常思維模式、激發創造力的技巧。例如一種叫做Random Word的方法能讓你思維向各個方向伸展，你能將完全不相關的詞形成關聯。所以，當你困住的時候，嘗試一下Lateral Thinking或Whack on the Side of the Head.

But if you feel like you're totally out of ideas and just want them to be given to you...

可是如果你感到江郎才盡，只希望被動地得到一些點子，那么......

3. Make your challenge generic and steal ideas from other areas. Velcro came from the hooks that stuck burrs to a dog's fur. Roll-on deodorant uses the same technology as the ballpoint pen. Figure out what you need to accomplish, and look for others who are doing the same thing... somewhere else.

讓你的挑戰“一般化”，然后從其他領域“竊取”點子。維可牢尼龍搭扣源自帶倒刺的刺果，它們會粘在狗毛上； Roll-on 除味劑采用的技術和圓珠筆一樣。了解自己要達到什么目標，在其它領域尋找同樣的事物。

All three of those strategies will take your mind to new places and will break through your mental block. They work because they're not hammering away in the same direction over and over again - they're drilling out a new direction of thinking.

這三種策略將讓你的思維帶入新領域，將打破你的思維框。它們奏效是因為它們沒有在朝一個方向不停錘打——而是朝一個新方向鉆探。

So, even when times are tough and your idea well seems like it's reached rock bottom, it doesn't mean all hope for creativity is lost. It simply means you need to get rid of your tunnel vision and start searching in other directions.

所以，即便時局艱難，你覺得創意已經到了山窮水盡的地步，這并非沒有希望再發揮創造力。這僅僅說明你不能做“井底之蛙”，而需要朝其它方向搜索。