▷ Think outside the box meaning | Actualizado junio 2025

Thinking outside the box synonym

Thinking outside the box Albert Einstein used to say: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results”. And he was right. More than once we have faced a project or a task and, despite having a clear intention to innovate, take on new challenges and experiment with different alternatives, we have ended up in the same place as always.

“Thinking outside the box” allows you to change that path that we have so internalized and assumed but that, sometimes, may not be beneficial. Thinking outside the box, an expression literally translated from English (Thinking out the box), basically means to think differently. To look for options that are beyond the visible limits, beyond traditional assumptions. It means banishing “it’s always been done this way” from our performance routines.

It is likely that these well-known and successful examples have convinced you to embark on the experience of “thinking outside the box”. If you feel like experimenting, you just have to make a firm resolution to change your way of thinking… and dive into the internet. There are thousands of games and apps to train your brain to discover new paths. On Pinterest, that infinite portal of inspiration, you’ll find thousands of options by searching for the term in English (it’s more standardized and you’ll have a better chance of success). Although if you are so interested that you want to discover this new method of thinking immediately, we leave you several ideas:

Thinking outside the box examples

Creative thinking Have you been asked to think outside the box at work? Looking for a creative idea for a new product or marketing plan? Don’t worry! Thinking outside the box, like any other skill, is something you can develop with practice.

Coming up with lots of different ideas, especially those that might seem a bit far-fetched, can be a good alternative to picking out a few really good ideas. This process helps you open your mind so you don’t get stuck in the same old thought patterns.

Part of finding creative solutions and ideas comes from seeing the problem or project in a new way. Seeing something differently allows you to glimpse possible new solutions that you might not otherwise have considered. Fortunately, there are some useful resources for reconceptualization that you can turn to.

Sometimes, if you have difficulty thinking outside the box, it’s time for you to set some basic parameters. You may see it as a hindrance to your creativity, but if you set the right parameters, you’ll find that it can actually open you up to new ideas.

Outside the box meaning

Focus on quality, not quantityWhile generating ideas, pull the plug on your internal editor. Exhaust all your good ideas and start giving suggestions that at first glance seem absurd or incorrect. Remember, you can always turn a bad idea into a good one if you channel it properly. Rossi claims that fast and friendly competitions help people showcase ideas without judging or being judged. Once, he put $100 bills in the center of the table and told his team they could take one each time they gave an idea. “In 15 minutes we generated 100 ideas,” he says. “And 50 of them were really interesting.”

Thinking outside the box in english

The “nine dots” game. The object of this puzzle is to connect the 9 dots using 4 straight lines or less without lifting the pen from the paper and without drawing the same line more than once. A solution appears below.

Thinking outside the box,[1] or thinking outside the box/out of the box,[2][3] is a metaphor that means thinking differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. This expression refers to novel or creative thinking. The expression is believed to derive from management consultants in the 1970s and 1980s who challenged their clients to solve the “nine dots” game, the solution to which required lateral thinking.

The origins of the phrase “thinking outside the box ” are uncertain; but it was popularized in part by the “nine dots” puzzle, which John Adair claims to have introduced in 1969.[5] Management consultant Mike Vance claimed that the use of the nine dots puzzle in consulting circles derives from the corporate culture of the Walt Disney Company, where this puzzle was used.[6] The phrase “thinking outside the box ” is also believed to have been used by management consultants in the 1970s and 1980s.