~ Ness Labs PKM Group

August 27th - PKM Workshop

Today’s Agenda

• Overview of today
• Overview of the creative process
• What processing information looks like
• Exercise: do it yourself
• Discussion: what did you learn

Date: Thursday, August 27th
Time: 11:00 AM EST
Duration: 55-60 minutes Format: Virtual (Zoom)
Participants: 10-15 people

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https://learntothrive.club/notes/pkm-workshop-aug27

Today’s Agenda

• Overview of the creative process
• What processing information looks like
• Prompts to get you started
• Exercise: Do it yourself
• Discussion
• Closing and Questions

Overview of the creative process

Every creation flows between two essential phases: [[divergence]] (expanding possibilities) and [[convergence]] (narrowing to an outcome).

Divergent Phase:

• Generates maximum ideas without judgment
• Explores wild connections and “what if” scenarios
• Values quantity over quality initially
• Uses techniques like brainstorming, free association, random stimuli

Convergent Phase:

• Evaluates and refines ideas
• Applies constraints, criteria, and practical considerations
• Synthesizes scattered concepts into coherent solutions
• Makes decisions and commits to directions

Think of it like breathing. Divergence is taking a big creative breath inward and drawing all possibilities in with it. Convergence is then exhaling out by narrowing those possibilities, getting rid of what doesn’t work and evaluating what remains.

A brief touch on science:

• Your brain’s default mode network [[7.1a 📗 The Default Mode Network (DMN) is responsible for your default mode of behavior

  (DMN)]] is extremely skilled at divergence: generating abstract ideas, coming up with creative solutions, and bridging unexpected neural connections.

• Your brain’s task-positive network ([[The task-positive network (TPN) is more active when we’re focusing on something specific

  TPN]]) is associated with convergence: focusing on what’s important, filtering ideas by relevance, and organizing them into coherent areas.

“Creativity without direction is just expensive brainstorming; direction without creativity is just expensive consulting.”

The real benefits exist in alternating between these two states. Research suggests that alternating between divergence and convergence leads to significant breakthroughs in your ability to connect and synthesize information.¹

What processing information is really like

Overall, the way we process information is very similar to the way the brain processes information. !Memory works in three stages#^efd24f

First we acquire new knowledge. This is normally sorted into our inbox.

• We went over this last session in more detail. You can find the notes here.

Second, we decide whether we want to retain that information. Is it useful to us in some way? How will we use it? What is the information’s value? What are we going to do with it?

Third, we retrieve that information and use it to further our thinking, create something, or help someone.

How does this relate to the creative process?

We’re looking to Add, Relate, and Communicate our ideas between and through one another. This is the basis of Nick Milo’s [[ARC Framework]].

• We add things into our PKM systems.
• We relate it to information we already have.
• Finally, we communicate it to others by creating value.

When to Diverge vs. Converge

🌱 Diverge When:

• You feel stuck or see only obvious solutions
• You’re in early exploration phases of your project
• Information feels disconnected or you’re missing context

🎯 Converge When:

• You have too many ideas and need to make progress
• You’re approaching deadlines or decision points
• You have clear criteria for what constitutes success

Exercise: Do it yourself

Take the next 10-15 minutes and go through one piece of information in your inbox. This could include…

• An article you recently highlighted.
• A piece of information you recently saved.
• A newsletter in your email inbox.

Anything that is interesting to you that you want to retain for future use. Just focus on one at a time and follow the prompts below. The goal here is to make it your own.

• Why did you save it? Why did it capture your attention? What is its value to you?

How you can apply this

When something resonates with you or find something interesting/counterintuitive, take a moment to ask yourself why.

• It’s interesting or important because…
• It’s about X, but it’s really about Y.
• It reminds me of…
• It relates to…
• It’s a part of…
• It would shout…
• It’s good because…
• It’s bad because…
• It’s similar to…
• It’s different from…
• “If this were a movie genre, it would be…”
• “This breaks the rule that…”
• “In another context, this would mean…”
• “Future retrieval cue: I’ll remember this when I think about…”

Discussion: What did you learn?

Most of us have way too much information permeating our lives. We can’t think clearly because everyone else’s thoughts are so loud.

By taking even a few minutes to clear your mind and really think about the information you’ve collected, what have you learned?

• What does the information tell you about yourself?
• What have you learned about where your PKM system might need some adjustments?
• How are you going to act differently moving forward?

Related/Extras

Related notes

• [[ARC Framework]]

• [[The Spark Method

  Spark, Remark, Relate]]

• [[The Mapping Method]]
• [[Prompt - Thought Unpacking Machine]]
• [[Prompt - Thought Enriching Machine]]

Key Studies: Coursey et al. (2019) Full article: Divergent thinking is linked with convergent thinking; implications for models of creativity - Found that alternating divergent-convergent processes enhance final product novelty through elaboration

• De Vries & Lubart (2017) Taylor & Francis OnlineFrontiers - Demonstrated alternating patterns form the creative process
• Paulus et al. (2019) FrontiersPubMed Central - Showed linking divergent-convergent phases critical for innovation
• Rietzschel et al. (2006) Full article: Divergent thinking is linked with convergent thinking; implications for models of creativity - Groups poor at selecting novel ideas without convergent processes
• Hommel et al. (2011) Metacontrol of human creativity: The neurocognitive mechanisms of convergent and divergent thinking - ScienceDirect - Benefits in convergent thinking come with losses in divergent thinking when not alternated