10. Focus on the problem, not existing solutions.Rather than thinking about existing solutions, go back to the original problem. Given a blank canvas, how would you solve the problem? e.g. rather than re-invent the toilet, come up with alternative ways to dispose of human waste cheaply, conveniently and hygienically.

    11. Go people-watching.Unleash your inner spy! Spend time watching people go about their everyday lives. What are they doing? How do they do it? Can you spot any obvious problems?

    12. Distract yourself.Have a change of scene. Do something that you love doing that has nothing to do with your business or blog. Get lost in what you're doing. Often we come up with solutions when we're not even thinking about the problem in the first place.

    13. Get feedback.Make the effort to find out what your colleagues, customers and readers think about what you do. Ask what you could do to improve. Listen to their feedback, good or bad. You'll gain a great deal of insight when you ask people to tell you what they think your strengths are.

    14. Refactor, reorganise and rethink.Consider services, products or concepts that are too basic or too complex. Sometimes just adjusting an existing solution will yield more ideas.

    15. Critique everything.Question everything, and ask yourself "why?"! Intelligently analyse your environment and think of improvements. See what lessons you can learn about the good and bad things in your environment.

    16. Read lots.Any kind of reading material can give you ideas. Find a range of materials that you enjoy reading （there's no point reading something you hate!）. Ideas can come from fiction, magazine articles, scientific journals, anything really!

    17. Network, in real life and online.Listen to people who have similar interests to you and find out what they love or hate. What are the common or repetitive problems they would love solved? This is also a great way to find someone to brainstorm with.

    18. Regularly read forums related to your interests.Forums often have threads dedicated to frequently asked questions （FAQs）. You can borrow ideas from these FAQs as well as be on the look out for questions that pop up on the forums on a regular basis.

    19. Look for gaps.Identify gaps in products, services or articles that exist between you and your competitors. Then consider what you can offer to address that gap.

    20. Keep a notebook handy at all times.Inspiration can hit you at any time, and you can forget it just as quickly. Keeping a record of this inspiration is vital. Make sure you revisit entries in your notebook on a regular basis too! You might be able to elaborate on ideas you had in the past.

    So there you go, 20 tips to help you identify opportunities. There's a common theme among these tips, namely to analyse problems in as much detail as you can. When you get ideas, consider all ideas, regardless of how stupid they might seem. Then weigh up the pros and cons of those ideas as solutions.liuxuepaper.com