The List of 100 is a powerful technique you can use to generate ideas, clarify your thoughts, uncover hidden problems or get solutions to any specific questions you’re interested in.
The technique is very simple in principle: state your issue or question in the top of a blank sheet of paper and come up with a list of one hundred answers or solutions about it. “100 Ways to Generate Income”, “100 Ways to be More Creative” or “100 Ways to Improve my Relationships” are some examples.
“One hundred entries? Isn’t that way too many?”
Bear with me: it’s exactly this exaggeration that makes the technique powerful.
When starting your list you may believe that there’s no way to get it done. But then, at some point during the exercise, you will naturally have your subconscious mind naturally engaged in the process. That’s when you will uncover many new and surprising answers, and ideas will start flowing again. Making a List of 100 is a beautifully articulated cooperation between the conscious and subconscious minds tackling one single problem.
Unlike the related Idea Quota tool — whose primary goal is to acquire the habit of coming up with ideas — the goal of a List of 100 is to take your mind by surprise. While both techniques are based on the concept of getting good ideas from lots of ideas, the ideas generated by each method are usually different in kind. With the Idea Quota you tend to have more elaborate ideas, because you have time to incubate them throughout the day (often without being aware of it). With a List of 100 you tend to get more unexpected ideas, because you catch your subconscious off guard, not giving it any time for its behind-the-scenes editing.
Ground Rules
There are only two simple principles to keep in mind when making Lists of 100:
1. Do it at one sitting
This is the one crucial element for the technique to work. If you end up doing your hundred entries, though over many sessions, you’ll defeat the point of the technique. Before starting your list, make yourself comfortable and try to block all potential interruptions.
2. Eliminate distractions
Just like most brainstorming techniques, you should strive to eliminate all activities unrelated to idea generation during the brainstorming session. Just focus on getting the ideas out of your head as quickly as possible following these rules:
- Don’t judge or evaluate ideas; you’ll review them later.
- Don’t write complete words or sentences if that slows you down.
- Don’t stop to wonder how far in the list you are; number the lines from 1 to 100 in advance or use numbered lists if you’re using a word processor.
- Don’t worry too much about repeating entries; duplicates can shed light on your patterns of thought.
The Dynamics of Making Lists of 100
To understand why creating a List of 100 works, consider what happens during the process of making one. There are three distinct phases you will usually go through when making your list:
1. First 30 entries or so: where you escape circular thinking
The first items are the easiest to come up with. In this first phase, your conscious mind is still in charge and you’ll most probably just dump ideas you’re already familiar with.
2. Next 40 entries: where patterns emerge
In this phase you’ll start noticing recurring themes and patterns of thought. Phase two is usually the hardest one, as you may find it difficult to let go of the ideas you had in the first phase in order to come up with new, distinct ones.
Bear in mind that it’s exactly this struggle that enables you to get to the third and most fruitful phase, hence the importance of not giving up at this point.
3. Last 30 entries: where the gems are
At this point you will already have exhausted most “logical” answers, allowing your subconscious mind to express itself more freely. Don’t be surprised if you get at least one or two really nonsensical or seemingly illogical entries. You may feel tempted to not write them down (”How on earth did I think that?”). Write them down anyway: these wacky entries may sound far from profound, but it’s exactly those items you’re after.
Also, after coming up with so many entries, it’s not rare to experience a shift in perspective: items that you first felt as being awkward will seem to better fit now than when you started the list. Moreover, your whole attitude towards the problem can change as you develop your entries: you may even come to the conclusion that you should be dealing with a different list topic altogether.
Applications of Lists of 100
Although I have known a variation of the List of 100 technique for several years (thanks to Michael Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci), it was only recently that I realized the technique’s full potential by reading Kathleen Adams’s Journal to the Self: 22 Paths to Personal Growth. This is an excellent book that has many great journaling techniques — and the List of 100 has its own chapter.
The List of 100 technique can be used for a lot more than solving specific problems; it is a general-purpose personal development tool that can help increase your self-knowledge, motivate yourself, and much more. To illustrate its myriad of uses, find below a List of 100 Lists of 100. The list was mostly taken from Journal to the Self, and slightly adapted with some of my own ideas.
100 Things to Write a List of 100 About
- 100 Things I’m Grateful For
- 100 Ways I Could Nurture Myself
- 100 Ways I Sabotage Myself
- 100 Things I’m Good At
- 100 Things I Like About Myself
- 100 Questions I Want Answers
- 100 Ways To Improve My Life
- 100 Things I’ve Accomplished In My Life
- 100 Things I’m Feeling Stressed About
- 100 Things I’d Do If I Had Time
- 100 Things I Need Or Want To Do
- 100 Things I Want To Accomplish In The Next X Months
- 100 Things To Do Before I Die
- 100 Things That Are Going Right
- 100 Things That Are Going Wrong
- 100 Reasons I Want To Stay Married/Committed
- 100 Reasons I Don’t Want To Stay Married/Committed
- 100 Things I Want In A Partner/Relationship
- 100 Things I Have To Offer To A Partner/Relationship
- 100 Fears I Am Having Right Now
- 100 Things That Once Scared Me But Don’t Anymore
- 100 Reasons To Save Money
- 100 Things I Miss
- 100 Sacrifices I Have Made
- 100 Marketing Ideas For My Business
- 100 Ways I Can Make Money
- 100 Ways To Make A Difference
- 100 Jobs/Careers I’d Like To Have
- 100 Fears About Being A Multimillionaire
- 100 Things I Believe In
- 100 Achievements (Qualities) I Am Proud Of
- 100 Things I Value In Life
- 100 Ways I Help Others
- 100 Things That Turn Me On
- 100 Things That Turn Me Off
- 100 Judgments I Make
- 100 Things I Find Hard To Share
- 100 Things I’m Disappointed About
- 100 Things I’m Angry About
- 100 Things I’m Sad About
- 100 Things [Peoples, Places] I Love
- 100 Things To Do When I’m Depressed
- 100 Things To Do When I’m Alone
- 100 Rules I Have Broken
- 100 Skills I Have
- 100 Feelings I Am Having Right Now
- 100 Childhood Memories
- 100 Things My Parents Used To Say To Me
- 100 Ways In Which I’m Generous
- 100 Ways To Be More Productive
- 100 Things I Hate
- 100 Things I Want
- 100 Places I’d Like To Visit
- 100 Things I’d Like Someone To Tell Me
- 100 Things I’d Like To Hear
- 100 Things I’d Like To Tell My Child
- 100 Things I Want My Child To Know About Me
- 100 Reasons To Have A Baby
- 100 Reasons Not To Have A Baby
- 100 Adjectives Describing Myself
- 100 Decisions Other Have Made For Me
- 100 Decisions I Made That Turned Out Well
- 100 Things I’d Do If I Had Six Months To Live
- 100 Expectations Other Have Of Me
- 100 Expectations I Have Of Myself
- 100 Judgments I Haven’t Released
- 100 Ways To Be More Creative
- 100 Things I Could Carry In My Pocket
- 100 Things I’d Save If My House Were On Fire
- 100 Things I Want To Tell My Mother [Father]
- 100 Things I’d Never Tell My Mother [Father]
- 100 Financial Fears
- 100 Excuses I Make For Myself
- 100 Things I Need/Want To Control
- 100 Fears I Have About Giving Up Control
- 100 Answered Prayers
- 100 People I’d Like To Meet
- 100 Reasons Why I Get Jealous
- 100 People I Admire
- 100 Tasks I’ve Been Procrastinating
- 100 Memories From My Past
- 100 Things That Nourish Me
- 100 Things I Haven’t Finished
- 100 Things I’m Glad I’ve Done
- 100 Things I’ll Never Do Again
- 100 Ways To Generate Income
- 100 Principles To Live By
- 100 People I Want To Forgive
- 100 People I Want To Forgive Me
- 100 Things To Forgive Myself For
- 100 Mistakes I Have Made
- 100 Lessons I Have Learned
- 100 Ways To Be Healthier
- 100 Things That Make Me Cry
- 100 Things That Make Me Laugh
- 100 Things I’d Delegate
- 100 Thing I Want For My Birthday
- 100 Possessions I’m Tired Of Owning
- 100 Responsibilities That I’d Like To Avoid
- 100 Things To Write A List Of 100 About
Hi Luciano,
This is something very interesting and fresh to me. I have seen some posts on creativity but not one presented like you did.
In fact, I have an article that provides some structure to direct creativity and I think your post complements well with it.
Thumbs up!
That’s a good idea!
I’m going to have to try it out one of these days!
This is a great article w/ a great idea! Nice job! I’m going to give it a try and see how I like it!
Wow, that is some list you have created and a challenge of giant proportions to keep focused. Having said all that I love the idea especially when you are unleashing your unconscious mind. I will be giving it a try to see if I really can think of 100 solutions. Thanks for spelling it out so clearly.
Woah this is awesome.
I just did the 100 things I’m grateful.
I look forward to doing more.
This right here is one of the things I’m grateful for, thanks
i liked this approach. i tried it out before i even read all the way through it and wrote down “100 ways to make money”.
amazingly i finished the list within 20 minutes — and i came up with some very unique ideas.
thanks!
Hi Luciano, I haven’t heard of this technique before but can see how it could be useful. I will try this. Thanks
Thanks everybody for the comments.
For those who tried it, I’m really glad the technique worked out well for you - thanks for sharing your experiences!
Nice idea. I will try this, I’m really curios what’s it like. But I’m also affraid that I will get stuck in my extreme logical thinking :-S
I’ll see that.
Luciano: Good post and good sound “creative how-to” advice. Best wishes to you and your many readers!
Roger von Oech
How many 100 lists have you already finished by now? I’ll start my own this weekend.
What an interesting idea. I especially like the list at the end.
I can’t think of a lot of things for most of these lists.
Also, is it wise to do these list on the ones which might be considered “negative”? Isn’t this reinforcing the negative?
Good idea to focus the mind. A list of 100 is too long. But it gives enough motivation. Thanks.
Hy this is bruno from Brazil!
great post!
Very helpful, thank you for this great post
Good way… We’ve used this on our course to generate creativity and unique ideas. it is said (can’t remember the source) that the 69/70th idea is usually the ‘best’. i.e. the one to carry forwards and develop.
I´ve been attending a Getting-Things-Done seminar at my company recently, and they were doing exactly that same thing, just it was a 20 thing to list up 20 about list.
As we were 20 people within the seminar, we would have generated 8.000 ideas within 10minutes. Awesome
Thanks everybody — I’m overwhelmed by all the positive feedback! I am seeing Lists of 100 popping out in the Internet, and I’m really glad so many people are benefiting from technique.
Chris:
Regarding your comment about “negative lists” reinforcing negative feelings:
I think it’s quite the contrary: negative thoughts are usually circular. Consciously dumping all of them in a list may be just what you need to escape the loop of negative thoughts.
Great post. This is my first time on your site. Very nice. I love the topic.
That’s very interesting. I love the list of 100 Things to Write a List of 100 About, I’ve written some lists myself and you’re right, the stages pretty much happen as you described.
There is a project called 101 Things in 1001 Days (originally from http://triplux.stilljournal.com/1001/). I stumbled upon this project a few years ago and found it so interesting that I ended up contacting the person behind the idea and asked for his permission to launch a version of the project in Portuguese, my first language (which is now at http://www.patriciamuller.com/101).
The idea is to list 101 things to do/accomplish in 1001 days, publish this list on a blog and then post updates whenever a goal is achieved. I don’t know much about what kind of feedback the original project gets, but on my side I get lots of feedback from people on what writing the list was like and what taking part in the project itself has helped them accomplish. Well, 99% of people say that it was easy to come up with the first 20-30 things, after which they got stuck and the process of being stuck forced them to question their lives in general and what they really wanted to do - which seems to match what you’re describing here. At first, people list the obvious things they have in the back of their minds, like reading a certain book, going to a doctor, losing weight and so on and so forth. However, when all the obvious things are listed, they find themselves asking the question “what do I want to do with my life in the next 1001 days?”, “what do I really want?” and this train of thought leads to a deeper questioning and soul searching. Sometimes new participants will visit other people’s lists looking for ideas and reference, maybe something they haven’t thought of doing, but that might be interesting for them. Others struggle their way on their own and end up coming up with things that are unexpected. No matter what, it is a process of discovering what really matters to them, what their values are and how much they know about themselves. And whatever the process they choose, the majority of people who go through the process of writing a publishing the list tell me that 1) it was an eye opener 2) publishing the list made them more committed to results and 3) they actually start taking action and accomplishing things they used to only dream about or procrastinate on. As time goes by, the majority of people actually have significant results in making changes in their lives. Which tells me that writing down a list with answers to questions like “What do I want to do with my life in the next 1001 days” or “What do I want my life to be like 1001 days from now” somehow makes a difference as opposed to only thinking about these things; somehow it makes people take action. I want to say that the fact that these people make their lists public is a crucial factor - and I’m sure it helps - but participants who choose to keep their lists private seem to get the same kind of results.
So, I just wanted to comment to give a practical example with real life results to the idea of writing such lists.
Cheers,
Patricia.
Patricia: Wow! 101 Things in 1001 Days is a really awesome concept!
I just made a list of my 101 things and it’s indeed really motivating. I especially like the way the resulting list has big and small goals, all mixed together. Immediately after I created the list I could knock 3 items off from it — that’s great for gaining momentum!
Thanks for sharing this great idea, I really appreciate your effort in describing it so thoroughly.
Luciano,
“Immediately after I created the list I could knock 3 items off from it — that’s great for gaining momentum!”
Same thing happened to me and it’s not uncommon at all. Like I said, there’s something bout actually writing the list that triggers action.
Oh, yeah, definitely!
“I especially like the way the resulting list has big and small goals, all mixed together.”
I like that too.
“Thanks for sharing this great idea, I really appreciate your effort in describing it so thoroughly.”
Don’t mention it, it’s my pleasure. I’m really passionate about this project and its potential to change people’s lives. I’m glad you liked it.
I recently started my own 101 goals list too, it is indeed very motivating. It’s fun to go back and look at the goals and trying to accomplish things from my list. I’ve taken to writing weekly blog entries with a list of goals for the week to keep me on track. It’s not something I want to write and then forget about!
Thanks for this blog, I only recently found it. Very motivating and interesting!
great post !
“because you catch your subconscious off guard, not giving it any time for its behind-the-scenes editing.”
…shouldn’t that be “catch your _CONSCIOUS_ (mind) off guard”…?
great post! i’m very much a fan of any techniques for accessing the power of the unconscious.
mungo: I meant ’subconscious’ suggesting that it is hard to get from it directly what you ask for. But if you use ‘conscious’ instead, it would indeed have a similar meaning as conscious thought usually overshadows the subconscious.
Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much! I’ve been really struggling lately, and haven’t been able to figure out how to get myself motivated to do what I need to do. I found your list of 100 idea, and decided to give it a try. I wrote down 100 things I could do to get out of my slump. I feel really good about it! Nothing on my list is too hard, and I know that if I start working on these little goals I’ll feel much better about the way I’m living my life.
Thanks. That was a really great post. This is the kind of thing I have always thought about doing but never really got round to it. The way you explain it makes me think it could be really worthwhile making the time though.
Is this something you could do with a group or is it best to do it alone??
Bob: I am sure you can create group variations, but the technique as presented here is intended to be done solo. Remember that its goal is not only to get 100 ideas, but getting them by digging in the subconscious and stretching your mind.
While you could have a group of people building on each other ideas until they reach 100, the resulting set of ideas would be of a totally different kind.
I’m one who has struggled with generating creative ideas around a business development project. This was a helpful post and I’m creating list of 100 today!
excellent post, and it comes at just the right time for me. I’ve got a hurdle, and this will make a great way for me to tackle it head on
Great post. This is a great way to get out of your conscious mind and explore the possibilities of your mind. It’s somewhat similar to when artists will make 100 versions of a subject, by the end you’ve come up with some wild possibilities.
I would say keep your lists positive, don’t dwell on negative topics. For example, instead of saying about not staying together, say 100 reasons you want to start something new with someone else or 100 ways to start something new.
WOW
I have been trying to make a list for 100 things you can do with tin - Kerry Smith inspired swap.
This would make for a great swap idea - can I use it?
Hi Simone, I don’t know what a ’swap idea’ is, but feel free to use the article the way you want (as long as you provide credit with a link back and don’t make commercial use of it). Thanks!
Thanks. Always give credit.
Swap-bot facilitates group snail mail and internet swaps. I am in a swap inspired by Kerry Smith’s 100 ideas at the moment. Just a fun place to share stuff.
A nice idea but perhaps 100 things to do is a little overwhelming. I agree that it can get creative ideas flowing through insisting on coming up with 100 things. An application of the 80/20 rule might then help to decide which of the 100 would give most benefit or effect (and an application of the 80/20 to that 20 would give just 4 things perhaps with the most dynamic and effective leverage!)
Thanks for the great post! some great ideas
Hi Nick. Applying the 80/20 rule (twice!) is definitely a great idea — thanks for sharing!
For the creative process to be effective, properly selecting your ideas is as important as having them in the first place.
Oh, I love the list of 100 technique!!! Thank you! This site is so full of wisdom that I literally am going to have to make myself leave, reminding myself I can return later. Every single article I have read was fascinating! Super site! Very helpful! Thank you! Thank you! I shall return many many times.
I thought I would just update on the swap.
31 people have signed up. Details are here: http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/10393
This is a very informative effort. Great idea on the list of 100!
I’ve used lists of 10, 20, and 25 before to help me solve tough problems… but never lists of 100, perhaps because I don’t have the patience to go to 100.
I’ll have to give it a whirl and see what results I get. Great post, I Stumbled it (you know, as if you needed that!)
Adrian: StumbleUpon is the biggest traffic sender to this site, and every stumble or review really does count, believe me.
Thanks for your support!
I go to art school and in a lot of my design classes, my professors usually require us to come up with a minimum of 100 thumbnail sketches (same idea as your list). It’s always a great way to see what you can come up with.
I did this about a month ago and I just saw your post today. The funny thing is (I was inspired by that 101 in 1001) I could only get to 70. Then I read your post today (1/21) and you suggested that the final 30 are where the “gems” are! Arrgh Ack! I stopped because the flow stopped. I am sure if I had concentrated I could have kept going! (I had no idea what I was missing out on!) Well, back to the drawing board.
I’m trying this on swap-bot.
Wow, this article is fabulous. I never realized that 100 things could be so effective. I’ve heard of lists of 25, but 100 really does make more sense. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
Hi
Just thought I would let you know that round 2 sign-ups are complete and partners are assigned 65 people have joined us to swap 100 lists on Topic 2 - 100 Ways to Nurture myself
Hi Simone, thanks for letting me know — I am already following it.
Congratulations for this great project!
For those who don’t know yet, Simone is hosting a very interesting project, where people get to swap lists of 100. All the 100 lists from this post will be addressed by the project.
If you’re interested, check out the Lists of 100 website.
What an awesome concept. I have heard similar ideas and strategies before, but never one so beautiful in its simplicity but amazingly powerful at the same time.
FABULOUS POST! Having such a list is what I need to keep me focus and on point.
Thank you.
My first time I heard this. I think this idea forces us into something like a meditative state when our thoughts are limited to a single idea. Noises from our mind specially negative ones effectively fades into the background because of our focus on the task. I’ll give it a try.
I love this site. I’ll put this in my blogroll so I can come back here often.
I decided to first try this idea with something “neutral” this evening.. some brainstorming for a client. And, man, you’re right! The first 10 - 20 items were simple, elementary fixes to their site, but the last 30 - 40 items were big, innovative (mostly) game changing ideas. Many of them were irrelevant or too expensive, but some gems were found.
Now I need to do some lists for more personal matters..!
This sounds very interesting. I have tried this kind of method before to find out the real reason of being upset or worried. But this … takes it to a different dimension all together. Although I must say that the prospect of sitting and making a list of 100 is scary
This is VERY good!
I love the ideas o inganging the subconsious mind in the process.
I will use this technique personally and in groups where new ideas are needed