Master innovation by alternating create and refine phases

Every creative breakthrough lives at the intersection of two modes: wide-open exploration and tight-focus execution. In the 1960s, designers at Stanford coined this “divergence and convergence” model. It’s as old as artistic practice itself—Leonardo sketched dozens of flying-machine ideas before he honed in on a single design—and as modern as IDEO’s design sprints.

Imagine you’re teaching a workshop on branding. You start by diverging: you skim through market research, competitor ads, and social media trends for 20 minutes, capturing sparks in your notes. Then you switch—close your browser, silence notifications—and sketch a wireframe of the new logo using only the snippets you highlighted. Done correctly, these phase shifts transform chaos into clarity.

Research in creativity shows this alternating rhythm optimizes idea generation while preventing burnout. Too much exploration leaves you stuck chasing shiny objects; too much focus dries up inspiration. By mastering both phases, you leverage the best of each: raw, novel material and polished, actionable outcomes.

Split your next project into two-minute timers: dive into your notes inbox to collect wild ideas until the buzzer, then immediately silence alerts and choose the top three sparks to stitch into a simple outline. Alternate until you’ve mapped a complete draft. Give it a try this afternoon.