Me, Myself & Ideas: The Ultimate Guide to Brainstorming Solo

by Carrie Anton, Jessica Nordskog

Part business resource, part inspirational workbook, The Lone Brainstormer is a visually-driven idea generator that teaches self-employed professionals—be they artists, freelancers, or CEOs—the habits they need to bring out their hidden creative talents. 

Offering tips, tools, and exercises aimed at crushing mental blocks and forging ahead with fresh ideas, The Lone Brainstormer is a beautifully illustrated book for anyone who has found their calling and needs help sustaining it.
 
 

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2019

Reviews

[MischaS_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Well, this was disappointing for me.

For a book that is supposed to help you with organisations... it's somewhat unorganised. Jumping from here to there then repeating what was said couple pages earlier.

As for the "ideas" part. That is definitely not for me. I understand that these tips and ways may help other people, but for me, it would be counterproductive.

However, I have to say that visually the book was well-done.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone who must do some brainstorming on their own. Although this targets those who are self-employed, it also contains ideas that would help anyone plan a personal project of any sort.

Some of the suggestions within might be a bit obvious for anyone who has done a lot of brainstorming either in groups or on their own. I also found it a bit puzzling that in one breath the authors roll their eyes with you about the cringey activities that are often encouraged in corporate group work, then a few pages later, some of the suggested solo activities might be equally nonsensical. To each their own, I suppose.

Overall, though, this book is packed with great ideas to get the creative juices flowing. Even seasoned pros will find some new tips within to add to their repertoire. Some of the exercises are great for getting out of a rut.

4 stars for this helpful book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Etienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book that suppose to do two things. First help you organized your though kind of, and the book is, in my opinion, not really well organized. Second, it pretend to help creative people finding a way to brainstorm/organized their thoughts, but if you're creative I think you should be able to use your creativity to find your own way to do it, that is way creativity is... I just don't see the points with this one, I was curious to have a look and that's why I pick it. but for me this is the kind of book that tell you how to do something without being able to do it. Like the guys who will explain how to write a best-seller but who hasn't write one. Not really worth it!

[Books by Kimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I randomly saw this title on Netgalley and the cover jumped at me - in a good way! It looked fun and playful, everything someone stuck in a creative rut would appreciate! I'm about to write my bachelor thesis in the field of Digital Marketing and I honestly got some amazing tips and tricks from this handy little book, that I will use throughout the process of writing my report. It will especially be very helpful in the beginning, to narrow down my problems and keep my focus.

I love the vibrant color schemes, it really gave you a fun experience as a reader and I also appreciated the small quizzes here and there to get to know yourself and your strengths better. Overall, I thought this was a fun and creative way to get some very useful tips, thoughts and processes across to someone in need of motivation and a bit of direction to reach their goal.

[Dora (Swift Coffee Book Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that it took me way more time than just 1 hour to read this one. I’m not sure it was so much more put all the time I spent with it together, but I simply couldn’t read it in one sitting. Not that it’s long, or hard to digest. It’s not. But I expected something light and inspiring, and I’m not sure that’s what I got. In a way, yes, it’s exactly that: there are relatively short texts and many things are explained via illustrations, and the aim is clearly to give step by step tips to inspire creativity. However, it felt hard to concentrate on it after a while. I don’t know if it’s the style or the length or the fact that I’m not completely sure creativity works this way, but I didn’t feel inspired to wanting to have ideas at all. I just wanted to stop reading and doing something else – or simply reading something else.
It does not mean that I found this book completely useless! There are tips and methods I really think would be helpful when someone’s (even I’m) stuck and needs to speed up their brain, but in general I think it’s suitable for a ‘save the day when I’ m not in the mood for ideas, yet I have to come up with something very soon’ situation, and not an everyday method to use for having genius ideas. And, at least considering the people I see around me in my life, most of the tips are only working when you have an incredible amount of free time on your hand – which is something most people don’t.

Anyways, I gave this book 3 stars, as in maybe I recommend it – because there are a couple of useful tips, and it might work better for some people than for me.

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I obtained some helpful tips from reading this book, but found it to be lacking in depth. I went into it expecting to find deep, well-ordered methods of sparking creativity. What I found felt more like a book of “500 ways to brainstorm.” At times, it was hard to figure out exactly what the object of the chapter was. I was completely lost at other points. The book seemed geared toward millennials who have a short attention span and lack any true depth in creativity. On a positive note, it was colorful and fun to read. I'm giving it two stars because I can see how it could be helpful to some people, but frankly, their writing style didn't make sense to me.

[Genevieve Trono · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who works in the creative field and also tackles a lot of solo projects, I was excited about this book and thought it sounded like it might be applicable to my situation. While the idea is great in theory, the execution just didn't work that well for me.

I found that Me, Myself & Ideas had some good brainstorming ideas but it jumped all over and I found it hard to stay focused while reading. While I think they were striving to make the book more pleasing to look at, the graphics mixed in distracted me more than anything. I think some people might find this book helpful, it just didn't work for me and I was hoping for more content and less surface level activities and ideas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McNeel Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visually appealing book, full of practical exercises and wonderful advice on brainstorming. I especially loved the part where authors list the major roadblocks and then steps to move past them. A paperback or hardcopy would be better than a Kindle version.

I received a free copy from NetGalley.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done book. As I used to be in different training situations, I think this book would be useful for team projects to get ideas started, especially with groups that aren’t that creative by nature. I also think for high school students and those just starting college, it may help get you thinking outside of the box in order to get the creative mojo going when you may feel blocked. I personally like the way the book is formatted and I appreciate its overall aesthetic. Lots of fun and different advice that diverse readers can benefit from.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you are trying to think up the perfect plot for your great American novel, create a new business, or energize an existing business with a new product or marketing plan, Me, Myself & Ideas can help.

Brainstorming is usually done in a group. But what if there is only you in the room? The authors have modified traditional brainstorming ideas so they can be performed by one person. They begin with breakouts and icebreakers to warm up your brain. But the meat of the book is in the brainstorming exercises themselves. Divided into methods using art, English, drama, and science as their muse, it is likely that at least one or two types will work for each reader.

There is nothing really new presented here. However, the style and humor in the book are a welcome addition to the surprisingly dry academic books on creativity. Years ago, I took a Master’s level Creativity Class that was my favorite MBA course. It presented these same ideas (i.e., mind maps and new ways of seeing old ideas). These methods work!

If you want to up your creativity with some pizazz, Me, Myself & Ideas is a good way to do it. Just a head’s up, I wouldn’t read this book from front to back. Stop and do some of the ideas as you read. 4 stars!

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Bookoholiccafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book help guiding entrepreneurs. This book also contains ideas to help the ones with a project to plan and move forward. Some ideas and techniques may be familiar to those who have brainstormed for their business and may sound obvious to so many , yet it is a great compilation for those who need to start making plans and building a right path
Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

In these modern times of solopreneurs, freelancers, and those who are interested in developing side hustles, this book means to guide the reader about how to do solo brainstorming. This might seem like an impossible phrase, but it is really about finding the ideas and answers within yourself to problems you might face in your solo business career since you don’t have the support of a group. The authors are like cheerleaders, using bright colors, nonlinear page design, and sometimes wacky ideas in an attempt to get you to dig deep for them.

The first couple of chapters are about what to do before you brainstorm: setting ground rules, thinking about your personality in regard to brainstorming, setting up your space, and getting out of your common work-a-day headspace. The longest chapter is the one on brainstorming itself, where the authors set up models for how to structure your approach to brainstorming in the guise of assignments. The last two chapters are about what to do after your brainstorming session, letting it mellow and then coming back to decide what you might want to work with.

I thought the book was at times a little too over-the-top. Some ideas are so zany that I couldn't see the practicality of them. There are certainly nuggets here that will help you as you try to come up with ideas, but it does take some work to separate the wheat from the chaff. I think a shorter book would have been better, forcing the authors to drill down and write in a focused fashion.

That said, if you are working for or by yourself and needing to come up with ideas, this book could give you some structure in how to best approach this.

I received a free advance copy of this book from #NetGalley, but that did not affect my review.

See my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me, Myself & Ideas is a good guide on how to brainstorm when you work by yourself. This book contains tips, advices, suggests solo activities that simply helps the reader to generate their thoughts and ideas. I was already familiar with many points and advices presented in the book by reading countless articles online and discussing similar subjects with others, however, this is a great handbook that keeps the collection of all the ideas in one place.

It is also very informative and easy to read. Perfect gift idea. The author did a great job gathering all the information and combining it with great exercises that made the book entertaining. Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced free copy of his book.

[Desiree M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me, Myself & Ideas covers general tactics for brainstorming, creative thinking, and gathering inspiration. There's advice on organization, arranging inspiration, and warming up your brain for the kind of output you may need either for your own business, or other creative practice. The book can be a little overly much at times, but I suppose I have a "think outside the box" comfort level. Worth looking at if you need to get yourself prepared to tackle a new or existing project.

[Claire Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work at lot with solopreneurs and work alone myself so this was a good guide to creating a healthy environment for brain storming when you have no one else to use as a sounding board. it's a fun and colourful book with some great ideas and unusual take on things.

[야일 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having a mental block for you ideas, this book will guide you to fully delve into your mental power to fully evolve into the best idea producer or just to get you started—to get into action.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

[Jeremy Straus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for people who want to start a new anything

I wish that this book had come out before I started my business venture, it would have given me more Ideas/Tools.
This book gives strategies to help overcome the "I can't" attitude.


Totally loved it Carrie & Jessica ❤

[Js · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easy read, shallow in depth.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, fun and colorful guide on brainstorming.
I enjoyed the short quizzes and the various suggestions on brainstorming, idea generation and more so about place. I've never thought that the place you're in could affect your brainstorming session. So, thanks Netgalley for the eARC, this was a fun read.

[Nicolet Groen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is lovely designed on one hand but at times, the design felt distracting and too cluttered. But, that's my personal preference. Others might find the playful layout a joy. Would I recommend the book? Honestly, I don't know. It might work for a lot of people but, personally, I feel it lacks depth. I prefer to read a more scientific approach to how the creative brain works and why certain exercises are recommended.

Me, Myself and Ideas offers some good ideas but most and for all I recommend not to read it at once, just flip through it when you need the inspiration to get your creative brain flowing.

[Ceridwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Me, Myself & Ideas as an ARC via Netgalley. I thought it might be fun to learn some new ways of sparking ideas! I could always use a little nudge in that direction.
I really enjoyed the fun, light-hearted style of the book. It made the subject engaging and interesting, and it kept me turning the pages. For a book about work, it really didn’t feel like work…
The book starts, rather unusually, with a “getting to know your idea-style” quiz. I don’t remember the last time I did a quiz… I’m a “Laid-Back Logan”, in case in anyone was wondering. I thought it was a fun way of getting the reader involved in a “how to” book.
Me, Myself & Ideas is also really pretty. It’s colourful, with great infographics, photographs and illustrations. That never hurts to keep you reading, right?
I think the thing which I enjoyed most about Me, Myself & Ideas though was, well, the ideas! It’s full of sensible and creative ways to help you generate new thoughts, it’s intensely practical, backed up with real-world examples, and the methods are the sort of silly fun which I can see readers enjoying. For example, there’s one exercise for designing a new marketing approach for a blog which suggests you go to a coffee shop or restaurant, look around you and notice what kinds of people are in there? Think about how they get their information and how could you tap into that. There’s another exercise around designing your dream business clientele which involves creating a sort of visualisation board, and one with an indepth interview technique.
It is aimed at small-business owners, but you could absolutely apply it to other areas of your life – I don’t think that was stressed enough in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Me, Myself & Ideas. I took notes throughout, and I already know I’m going to have to purchase a copy or two to send to some small business owner friends! It’s a fantastic resource, and I highly recommend it for creative people and those of you doing the side hustle.

[T Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic design with great fonts and illustrations make you want to open this book time after time. For this is a book to keep handy for those working with ideas.
Maybe a little too much about the place to work in, but the exercises seem very useful for many situations.

[Darya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and practical. Easy to read. Thanks to the book, my networking is at a good level. Recommended for reading to anyone looking for networking tips.