[NickDouglas]

I just started a blog called "Bad Idea a Day" (it's at that .com, but I'm not trying to advertise it). I force myself to think of a product, story, lifehack, or any idea each morning.

It's just for fun and mental practice. But so far I like my ideas, and I'm already talking to a designer about possibly turning one idea into a product.

You could do the same with a blog, Tumblr, or Twitter account named "What people want." Every morning, think of something people want. Do it again at lunch. Do it again at dinner.

Make the account private if you want, but I recommend putting ideas up in public. You're more likely to find a partner and willing free advice than to get your idea stolen.

[kyro]

I don't think forcing yourself to come up with an idea is particularly the best way of going about it. Some of my best ideas have spawned out of pure stream of consciousness. I think by doing what you do, you turn coming up with ideas into a task that you limit yourself to doing only several times a day. Morning or lunch shouldn't just be 'idea time.' Your whole life, your experiences, your interactions should be 'idea time.'

[NickDouglas]

But if you're coming up with zero ideas, adding three a day is an improvement. What you call "forcing yourself," I call every writers' room and recording artist contract.

I didn't write much good material until Valleywag made me write twelve blog posts a day. Only three or four were really good -- but that's three or four more good posts a day than I was turning out before.