Summary: The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier

• This blog post discusses Marty Neumeier's book, The 46 Rules of Genius: An Innovator's Guide to Creativity, and focuses on the rules from the first part of the book.
• It highlights seven great ideas from the book, such as feeling before thinking, seeing what's not there, and framing problems tightly.
• The book and how the author emphasizes the know-make-do process over the traditional know-do process for innovation.
• It shares seven ways to simplify work, the importance of learning to learn, ten principles of self-learning, and six steps of originality as recommended by Marty Neumeier.

Initial Thoughts on The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier

A couple of years ago, at an event I attended at the Rotman School of Management on the Rules of Genius, I was given a copy of The 46 Rules of Genius: An Innovator's Guide to Creativity (Voices That Matter) by Marty Neumeier.

Since I received The 46 Rules of Genius for free, I decided to read and review it. This post is the second part to Marty Neumeier’s Rules of Genius. At the event, Marty Neumeier focused on the rules that were in the second half of the book, so I am focusing on the rules in the first part.

7 Great Ideas from The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier

1. Feel before you think: Your subject may have something to tell you.
2. See what’s not there: Artists and designers talk about negative space. “It’s the plain background of a painting, the white space on a printed page, the silence between the lines of a play, or the rests within a musical score.” Develop the ability to see what might be.
3. Frame problems tightly:
   1. Write a problem statement.
   2. List the constraints.
   3. List the affordances – the creative possibilities that exist within the problem.
   4. Describe the success.
4. Stay in the dragon pit: The dragon pit is the space/gap between what is and what could be. What could be is the place where you will find ideas. You will find creative energy inside the dragon pit.
5. Put the surprise where you want the attention: Focus attention on the most important part of your idea.
6. Start with curiosity, not belief: When you believe something, you often face stagnation. Belief stops imagination, innovation and progress.
7. Approach answers obliquely: To generate unique ideas, try to think in metaphors and in pictures. Additionally, write down as many assumptions about the problem that you can think of then reverse them.

Have you read?

Marty Neumeier’s Rules of Genius

What is The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier About?

The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier is divided into four parts – How can I innovate? How should I work? How can I learn? And how can I matter? And each part has a set of rules that have served the author well. The first 11 rules that make up part one are concerned with getting the right idea, while the 14 rules that form the basis for part two focus on getting the idea right.

The author points out that traditional thinkers follow a know-do process which limits their thinking and ability to find new approaches. Marty Neumeier recommends the know-make-do process, which expands your thinking, enabling you to invent new models, prototypes, or mock-ups that can be tested before they are selected.

When you face a problem, Neumeier recommends that you ask a series of 12 questions:

1. Have we seen this problem before?
2. What do we know about it?
3. Are the boundaries the right boundaries?
4. Is it the right problem we are solving?
5. Should we solve a bigger problem instead?
6. If we succeed, what will be improved?
7. What will be diminished?
8. What will be replaced?
9. What opportunities will it spawn?
10. Who stands to gain and who stands to lose?
11. Do we need to solve the problem at all?
12. Who says? So what? Why Not?

By asking the twelve questions, you force yourself to think through the problem.

7 Ways to Simplify Your Work

1. Test elements by removing them one by one to ensure that there are no unnecessary parts.
2. Discard any needless features because more is sometimes too much.
3. Kill vampire elements – any element that will take away from the main idea.
4. Place elements in a logical sequence so it is intuitive.
5. Group items into buckets so they make sense. For instance, group by use, meaning, size and so on.
6. Hide complexity behind a simple interface. Make it easy for people to use.
7. Align elements behind a single purpose. If there is one purpose, the whole design will appear simple and seamless.

Have you read?

Tips for Taking Good Notes, an Example (Gaming to Innovate)

Learning to learn is an important skill because it multiplies your knowledge and accelerates your speed while on your learning journey. Take control of your learning by becoming an autodidact. Create a personal framework for you to acquire knowledge. But always make sure that you learn strategically so you learn about the things that really matter to you that can move you forward in your career.

10 Principles of Self-Learning

1. Learn by doing.
2. Do work you love and believe in.
3. Harness habits – the brain form habits for routine tasks.
4. Keep your eyes on your main goal.
5. Cultivate your memory. Pay attention to knowledge that is specific to your craft.
6. Increase your sensitivity. Be able to notice the differences between outcomes.
7. Stretch your boundaries. Keep on raising the bar.
8. Customize your meta-skills. Focus on meta-skills such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, imagination and intuition that will drive your professional success.
9. Feed your desire by keeping your passions alive by reading books and articles, talking to others and attending conferences.
10. Scare yourself. Be bold and audacious – push yourself way beyond your comfort zone.

You have generated an idea that you think is unique, what ways can you test it? Marty Neumeier recommends that you apply the six steps of originality.

6 Steps of Originality from The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier

1. Is the idea disorienting? Does it unsettle you?
2. Will it kill 10 birds with one stone?
3. Does it need to be proved?
4. Is it likely to force others to change?
5. Does it create affordances?
6. Can it be summarized in a sentence?

Final Thoughts on The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier

Marty Neumeier's The 46 Rules of Genius is a treasure trove of knowledge. It unleashes our creative potential and transforms your approach to problem-solving and learning. By exploring seven great ideas from the book, you have witnessed the power of feeling before thinking, embracing negative space, and framing problems with clarity. Adopting the know-make-do process, as recommended by Neumeier, enables you to break free from traditional constraints and discover innovative solutions. The principles of self-learning and originality guide you on a path of continuous growth and discovery.

For the creative innovator, these insights offer new avenues to explore and experiment, pushing the boundaries of imagination. To the productivity enthusiast, the strategies to simplify work and focus on the essential will lead to increased efficiency and success. And for the lifelong learner, the emphasis on developing meta-skills and stretching beyond comfort zones ensures an enriching journey toward professional fulfillment.

Embrace creativity, and with every idea, dare to be disorienting, impactful, and transformative. By fostering a mindset of curiosity, courage, and continuous learning, you can create a future filled with innovation and success.

The 46 Rules of Genius: An Innovator's Guide to Creativity (Voices That Matter) by Marty Neumeier is the kind of book you can dip into when you need a creative hit. It's ideal for people who want to tap into their creativity.

Next Steps

Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:

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UPDATE: First Published December 2014

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