I have recently been dipping in and out of a fabulous book called Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko.

The author describes his book as ‘a handbook of creative-thinking techniques’ which I would say is a good summary.

Michael introduces his book with a warning – he asks the reader to consider whether they are what he describes as ‘kittens’ or ‘monkeys’: the former crying for help when facing challenges, whilst those monkeys amongst us want lots of ideas to improve our businesses, and indeed personal, lives.

The book takes you through the differences between left and right brain activities and breaks tactics into linear and intuitive thinker toys, giving each a memorable name.

Much as I like to think of myself, well at least in Michael’s terminology, as a monkey, I know I am not alone in having what he would probably describe as kitten moments (often at 4am). Opening a new section of this book and immersing myself has really made me reconsider how I approach certain things in both business and life, and has also helped my lifelong insomnia!

So, if you are looking for something to help your creativity, but don’t have the time or desire to digest a whole tome at once, why not give this book a go?