Sorkin's Rolodex Method

Aaron Sorkin's creative process reveals that finding good ideas requires cycling through many bad ones first. This framework explains his "Rolodex Method" of ideation.

Core Concept

• Brain acts like a rolodex flipping through 50,000 bad ideas to find one good one
• Must exhaust many dead-end paths before finding the path that works
• Quality ideas emerge after processing numerous failed permutations

Application to Different Fields

• Marketing ideas: Brain cycles through multiple permutations
  • Business models
  • Target audiences
  • Value propositions
• Business ideas: Requires mental "speed runs" through idea maze
  • Testing different concepts
  • Hitting walls
  • Adjusting and iterating

Key Insights

• Good ideas don't come instantly - they emerge after processing many bad ones
• Success appears sudden but comes from rapid internal iteration
• Must be willing to cycle through numerous failed concepts
• Final idea often seems obvious because brain has eliminated all other options

Process Characteristics

• Requires patience to work through multiple iterations
• Involves hitting many dead ends
• Results appear magical but come from exhaustive mental processing
• Often breakthrough happens when not actively focusing (shower thoughts)
• Final idea emerges cleaner because you've eliminated obvious problems

This method suggests that ideation is not about waiting for inspiration, but actively processing through numerous possibilities until finding the right one.