THE SURPRISING HABITS OF ORIGINAL THINKERS

The idea: Vuja de.

Who: Adam Grant

– psychology professor and author of New

York Times bestsellers Originals and Give And Take. He also co-wrote Sheryl Sandberg’s Option B.

What? Like the reverse of déjà vu, silly. “Vuja de is when you look at something you’ve seen many times before and all of a sudden see it with fresh eyes,” says Grant. According to him, it’s one of the most common habits of creative people. Encouraging doubt – not in yourself, but in an idea – is a good thing.

Quote: “It’s about being the kind of person who takes the initiative to doubt the default and look for a better option.”

Apply it: Don’t accept the first version of something. Try to leave yourself enough time to go back to a project, document or important email – even if it’s just the next day. And if you suspect something can be done better, dig around to find another way to do it.