Nothing is worse than trying to complete a project, only to hit a mental roadblock that makes you feel stuck. When this happens, some people like to take walks, others break for food, and some take a little nap, but there’s not really a guarantee that you’ll come back refreshed with new ideas. If you’re looking for another solution, you might want to try The Genius Deck, a website designed to help give you a fresh new perspective on what you’re working on.
All you have do is press “Flip Card” and The Genius Deck will reveal a card that can help guide you in the right direction with a random phrase or suggestion, such as “Map it all out” or “Be a copycat.” The instructions aren’t groundbreaking, but they can serve as helpful reminders when you’re having a hard time getting out of a mental rut. They can also encourage alternate ways of looking at problems, which could stimulate your brain in a different way.
The website is a new side project by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, a designer and art director who also has a degree in neuroscience. The website originally began as a print version and was based on the Oblique Strategies cards, a deck of cards intended to help artists break creative blocks by encouraging lateral thinking. Phingbodhipakkiya also founded The Leading Strand, a multidisciplinary initiative meant “to bring the disparate worlds of design and science together to serve the greater good by translating important research through visual experiences.” Sounds like The Genius Deck is doing just that!
Although the useful website sadly can’t solve all your problems for you, it can help you switch gears and “unlock the mind.” Sometimes, you just need a little push in the right direction, and your ideas will come flowing in no time.