Practice the Art of Forgetting

Boost your creativity! The Creative Whack Pack is now a best-selling iPhone App. Check it out here!

It's time for some wisdom from Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher whom I consider to be the world's first creativity teacher. His words today are: "Knowing many things doesn't teach insight."

As with all of Heraclitus' ideas, there are many ways to interpret this. What stands out for me, though, is this creative strategy:

Practice forgetting.

I think what he's getting at is this: forgetting what we know — at the appropriate time — can be an important means for gaining insight. Without the ability to forget, our minds remain cluttered with ready-made answers, and we're not motivated to ask the questions that lead our thinking to new ideas.

For example, one day on his regular walk past the local blacksmith's workshop on the island of Samos, the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras temporarily forgot that the banging sounds produced by the smith's hammering of iron bars were "noise" — his usual reaction — and instead viewed them as "information." He soon discovered that musical pitch is a function of the length of the material being struck — his first principle of mathematical physics.

Remember: everyone has the ability to forget. The art is knowing when to use it. Indeed, novelist Henry Miller once stated:

"My 'forgettery' has been just as important
to my success as my memory."

Some questions to think about: 

What conventional wisdom are you relying on? What would happen if you forgot the obvious answers that spring to mind and searched for new ones?

Comments

[Tom Haskins]

When I'm in the dark of forgetfulness, the stars come out to see things in a new light. If I am in my beginner's mind, I see the latest problem without my familiar preconceptions. When I am full of wonder, the conclusions I usually jump to seem irrelevant to me. If I don't know what to make the issue that beguiles me, "what to know about it" comes to mind as inspirations.

Forgetting works for me anytime I know too much and fixate on being right too soon.

[Jorge Castillo]

From this Heraclitus' idea I "translate" this creative strategy: Ignorance is a good adviser.

That's why little boys and girls can ask questions that make us think out of the logic (the Polaroid photo system born from a boy's question: Why can't I see my picture right now?). People that doesn't have any expertise in a field can provide really creative ideas just because of their "ignorance".

Knowing could mean mastery, ... but also limitation.

[Roger von Oech]

Tom: "the stars come out to see things in a new light. If I am in my beginner's mind . . . " This reminds me of another bit of Heraclitean wisdom:

"When there is no sun, we can see the stars."

Jorge: "Knowing could mean mastery, ... but also limitation." I like the way you put that.

[Randy]

Just had a great idea via "forgettery" - but, um, I forgot it. (Sorry, decided someone had to do it).

[J.R.]

This is a wonderful idea.

One of the things that is always most difficult to overcome in business is "tribal custom". "Tribal custom" is encountered when you ask someone why they do something, and they respond "because that is how we have always done it." If only they would forget sometime, and do it a different way, business processes might improve. When I encounter this I ask if maybe we could just not do it that way for a while and see if anyone notices. Frequently steps and whole processes can be eliminated simply by forgetting to do them.