Think with AI · Guide 8 of 12
The AI Brainstorm Method
Generate → Expand → Combine. A structured method for ideas that are actually good.
After This Guide, You Will Be Able To
Use a structured AI brainstorming method to generate, expand, and combine ideas into something better than your starting point.
Why This Matters
In Guide 7, you learned why your first idea is rarely your best. Now you get the method that consistently produces better ones.
Most AI brainstorming stops at Step 1 — "give me a list of ideas." That is useful, but it leaves most of the value untouched. The real leverage comes from what you do with the list: expanding the most interesting ideas, then combining the best elements of multiple ideas into something new.
This 5-step method is the difference between a brainstorming session that produces a list and one that produces an idea you actually want to pursue.
Core Concept — The 5-Step Method
Generate broadly
Give me 15-20 ideas for [goal]. Include obvious, unusual, and unexpected options. Do not filter.
The goal is quantity. Do not judge yet.
Pick 3 that interest you
You are choosing based on gut reaction — energy, excitement, or curiosity. Not which one seems most 'realistic.'
Push each one further
Take idea [X]. Make it bigger, cheaper, faster, or more Filipino. What are 3 variations of this idea?
Each idea has multiple versions. You want to see what it looks like when stretched.
Combine the best elements
Here are my top 3 ideas after expansion: [A], [B], [C]. Combine the best elements of all three into one hybrid idea.
Hybrid ideas are often where the breakthrough lives. AI is excellent at this step.
Gut check
Ask yourself: does this feel like something I would actually do? If yes, you have your idea. If not, go back to Step 2 and pick different ones.
Interactive Exercise
About 15 minutes · ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
Use the 20-idea list you generated in Guide 7 as your starting point. If you do not have one, run Step 1 now with a real goal. Then walk through all 5 steps in sequence.
Generate 15-20 ideas for your goal (or use the list from Guide 7)
Pick the 3 ideas that give you the most energy or curiosity
Ask AI to push each one further with 3 variations
Ask AI to combine the best elements of all three into a hybrid
Gut check: does the hybrid idea feel like something you would actually pursue?
Is the hybrid idea something you would have arrived at on your own? What does it feel like to have an idea that combines things you had not thought to combine?
Key Takeaways
The AI Brainstorm Method has 5 steps: Generate → Pick 3 → Expand Each → Combine → Gut Check.
Expanding ideas reveals versions you would not have seen. Combining ideas creates hybrids that no single idea could produce alone.
The gut check is the filter. Use it at the end — not at the start. Premature filtering kills good ideas before they have a chance to develop.
This method works for any creative challenge — business ideas, content, solutions, offers, projects. Learn it once and use it everywhere.
Run the full method on a business or project idea you have been sitting on.
Most people have one idea they have been thinking about for months without doing anything with it. Run it through the full 5-step method. You may discover the version of the idea that is actually worth pursuing.
What's Next
Filtering Ideas Like a Pro
Think with AI · Guide 9 of 12 · Intermediate · 8 min