Daily Ten Ideas Exercise

James Altucher's "Ten Ideas Exercise" is a daily practice for maintaining and strengthening creativity through consistent idea generation.

Core Practice

• Write down 10 ideas every single day
• Can be done in a waiter's pad or email
• Purpose is to exercise the "creativity muscle" to prevent atrophy
• Ideas don't need to be good - quantity over quality
• Takes about 3-4 months to see significant mental changes

Types of Ideas

• Business ideas
• Writing ideas
• TV show concepts
• Product improvements
• Solutions for companies
• Chapter titles for potential books
• Personal reflection lists
• Industry-specific challenges

Key Benefits

• Rewires the brain for enhanced creativity
• Creates dopamine surge that lasts until afternoon
• Generates new opportunities
• Builds relationships with companies
• Leads to real business opportunities
• Helps bounce back quickly from setbacks

Implementation Tips

• First 7 ideas usually come easily
• Ideas 8-9-10 make the "brain sweat"
• Can focus on specific challenges or industries
• Don't worry about idea quality
• Send ideas to relevant companies if valuable
• Use it as a daily morning practice

Real World Example

• Created TV show ideas for Disney+
• Focused on unscripted content for 9-year-olds
• Sent ideas to Disney executive
• Led to actual meeting with Disney

Psychological Impact

• Helps maintain mental sharpness
• Part of daily emotional and creative health
• Creates consistent creative output
• Builds confidence in idea generation
• Provides structure for creative thinking