Whack On the Side of the Head
by Roger Von Oech, Oech Von · first published 1973
8mentions
7recommended by
8HN commenters
2008–2019first – last mentioned
88% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A practical guide to thinking more flexibly and generating ideas, with exercises designed to loosen habitual thinking. Suited to anyone from students to professionals seeking creative breakthroughs.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
How you can be more creative.
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There's probably considerable overlap with books on creativity and making your thinking more flexible. Roger von Oech's _A Whack on the Side of the Head_ and _ Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!_ may be helpful. Also, look at some of the books about home schooling, targeted to both parents and the teenagers themselves. I remember Grace Lewellyn's _ The…
on “Ask HN: Books on meta-learning” ↗I second the war of art.. excellent book. The classic book on creativity is "A Whack on the Side of the Head" by Roger Von Oech (http://www.amazon.com/Whack-Side-Head-More-Creative/dp/04464...). It is the book to read on creativity, along with his other book "A Kick in the Seat of the Pants" His card decks…
on “The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life” ↗…handful of them so far. The actual book is a great supplement to reading them. So far I've only hit one that bored me to death (Innovator's Dilemma) For example - Chasing The Light - Amazing Book. A Whack on the Side of the Head - Loved it. Purple Cow - Classic. http://noahfleming.com/blog/100-business-books
on “The 100 Best Business Books of All Time” ↗…out later. Maybe the idea will be thrown away then, and maybe it won't. There's a great John Cleese talk on open vs closed thinking that you could look up on YouTube. A good book on the subject is A Whack On The Side Of The Head. Edit: That said, there's also something to working with another person, and each focusing on one of these roles more than the other. Like author and editor. Lots of things follow this pattern of splitting…
on “Ask HN: Does being practical act as a hinderance to one’s imagination?” ↗Enjoy this phase! Idea generation can be a lot of fun. Get some books to stimulate. I've gotten a lot of mileage from "A Whack On The Side Of The Head" and "Creativity" (Csikszentmihalyi). Watch some TED talks. Go to your local unconferences and meet people and see what they're working on. Team up on those connections. Share your ideas as they come.…
on “Ask HN: What if I don't have an idea?” ↗…http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/03/20/running-a-software-busin... and I do find his comment about "walking in a store to find what people buy" a great starting point! I also have this book which I recommend 'A Whack on the Side of the Head' http://amzn.to/bm6vW4 which certainly did literally help me look at ideas in a different light and generate new ideas. As a part of my effort to just find new opportunities, I've been documenting meta-algorithms…
on “Tell HN: Read Maxim and other trashy "guy" rags.” ↗If anyone likes this sort of idea, they should check out the book: A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative[0] There's a section where he talks about thinking about other businesses or activities that are outside of your main focus, and after you go through that process you may…
on “Leisure Is Our Killer App” ↗The chalk dot on the wall story comes directly from a 1983 book called "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" by Roger VonOech. A proper credit or footnote would be nice.
on “Kids build great things.” ↗