I used to struggle with ideas. The initial hurdle wasn't coming up with them, it was recognising that I had them in the first place and then recording them for

I used to struggle with ideas. The initial hurdle wasn't coming up with them, it was recognising that I had them in the first place and then recording them for later. Here's what worked for me: 1. Buy a notebook. A really good quality notebook. You need to like how it looks, how it feels in your hand. 2. Buy a pen. A pen that you love writing with. Pick your colour, decide on whether you want ink/gel/pencil. It needs to be a reliable pen that you love to write with. 3. Carry both with you as often as possible. Look for gaps, problems, optimisations, new uses for existing things, and, finally, anything you see that is really awesome (this one is just as important as the others). Write everything down. Try not to filter/dismiss anything, if it doesn't seem significant now it might 6 months down the track. The goal here is to be mindful of what's around you. 4. Once you have a really good idea (you'll know when it happens) then build it. Number 1 is the most important step in my opinion. I use fairly cheap pens (that I love) but consistently overpay for notebooks. I tried lots of stuff in the beginning but I needed a 'good' notebook (I think I paid around $25) to get me consistently recording stuff. I think that this was because writing things down almost was a rewarding experience in itself. I suggest avoiding apps (in the beginning at least) for this reason. There's something about the tactile quality of writing and the flexibility between being able to immediately write, draw or flowchart that technology just can't replicate. On top of that, you're much more likely to remember something when you read it in your own handwriting than when you see it on a screen. I'm more than confident that you have lots of ideas at the moment, they're just not hanging around long enough to be actionable. That said, if you're still stuck I have a few that you can get started on ;-) Also, if you just want ideas for side projects rather than a business/startup/plan to save the world, just look for programs with cool features or functions and replicate them. This seems to be a commonly recommended path in visual design and I don't see why it won't get you started. You'll learn a lot and probably start having your own ideas for new stuff along the way. Hope this helps!