Our skills have remained critically important from primitive times to the modern age. Whether in the agricultural, industrial, or tech economy, the fundamental truth remains that existing skills are replaced by new ones or evolve to a higher level. The tremendous progress has led us to the brink of the ‘Skill Economy’.
As an HR professional, I value human potential and believe in the skills of people.
I research human skills and design development journeys to build them. I collect inputs from various sources for insights on the subject. The World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Jobs’ reports are one of them.
For over a decade, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has involved academicians, researchers, technologists, psychologists and economists to delve deeper into the subject. I regularly studied those reports for the past decade and explored their future projections.
The findings are startling!
First, let’s understand this phenomenon called ‘Half-life of Skills’: it represents the time it takes for a skill to lose half its value in the job market!
The WEF found that half-life of skill dropped from 30 years to 7 years and continues to decrease!
What does it mean?
It means if our elders focused on mastering ‘one’ skill for lifetime survival, now we must master ‘five’ skills just to survive in a rapidly changing world!
It sounds challenging, but there is a silver lining! I reviewed WEF reports from 2015 to 2025 and identified ‘ONE’ skill consistently featured among the top 10 skills for all those years.
But another question popped up. Will it stay relevant in the next 10 years?
A big YES!
The WEF report suggests that this skill will not only stay relevant in 2035, but will experience cumulative double-digit growth!
So, which skill is this?
It’s Creative Thinking.
“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.” — Albert Einstein
How I Selected Books?
As an author, I have dedicated years to reading and reviewing books. Before listing three specific books, I established the following parameters.
- Gives practical techniques and exercises to sharpen this skill
- Uses many examples for a clear understanding
- Turns it into a habit, not just a fleeting knowledge
- Effectively conveys the message
Over the years, I read a dozen bestselling and popular books and found three that met all requirements.
A. Thinkertoys, by Michael Michalko
This masterpiece challenges conventional thinking, offers exercises for creative ideas, and describes techniques and tools to develop creative thinking skills.
What I like about Thinkertoys:
- Series of random stimulation and concept-combination techniques
- Easy to grasp concepts with practical application
B. Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono
Vertical thinking relies on facts, numbers, and data for conventional problems, while lateral thinking tackles unconventional problems.
What I liked about Lateral Thinking:
- The unique technique of reversal modeling, which flips the traditional cause-and-effect problem-solving process
- Emphasizes embracing unfamiliar topics for lateral thinking growth by venturing beyond our usual expertise
C. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
In contrast to the first two books, The War of Art focuses on the obstacle to implementing these teachings in reality — Resistance.
What I like about The War of Art:
- It addresses the core hurdle in developing creative thinking — resistance to the "art" — and highlights effective techniques to overcome the same.
- The process includes steps to beat creative blocks and daily habits to develop a creative mindset.
2. Mind Games
How I Selected Mind Games?
Since childhood, I have enjoyed playing indoor games with a diverse set of friends. I refreshed those memories with my kids over the past decade. I consulted experienced trainers and set four parameters for selecting toys that enhance creative thinking.
- Playable by individual, 2–3 people, or bigger group in office set-up
- Played solo, it enhances creative thinking; in a group, it fosters competitive lateral thinking.
- Players must rely on creative thinking rather than prior knowledge to win, prompting strategic play each time.
- Setting up the game should be easy, with no constraints.
I found three unique indoor games that each develop creative thinking in distinct ways.
A. Strategy Group Board Games, e.g. Corporate Monopoly, Business
While luck may seem important, these games are more about strategy and decision-making, where skill can prevail over initial advantages.
What I liked about Strategy Group Board Games:
- Different strategies vary in success. Games require diverse approaches. Winning parameters, e.g., profit, revenue, and houses, spark creativity.
- Competition between players intensifies the drive toward unconventional thinking.
B. Brick Toys, e.g., Domino, Lego
Brick games foster visual skills, teamwork, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) inspiration. They engage both kids and corporate adults, sparking creativity.
Surprisingly, international Domino and Lego championships exist!
What I liked about Brick Toys:
- Offer unstructured play and inspire imagination and creativity without limits.
- If bricks fall, just rearrange them, allowing a chance to return to the game for competitors.
C. Sudoku Board Game
Growing up with the newspaper Sudoku, I was astonished to see wooden board Sudoku. Each 9×9 pattern challenges with 1-to-9 numbers in every box and line. Despite its simplicity, it’s a mental workout.
My wife’s Sudoku hobby during a 9-month pregnancy gave our child an affinity for numbers and creativity today!
What I liked about the Sudoku Board Game:
- Engages our mind in logic, patterns, and decisions simultaneously, involving various mental processes.
- The well-designed board gives an elevated experience, e.g., a wooden drawer for pieces and a firm grip to prevent accidental changes.
3. Outdoor Activities
How I Selected Outdoor Activities?
If books enhance knowledge, and mind-games stimulate the brain, then outdoors promote physical health, all fostering creative thinking. As a former school cricket team vice-captain, I now find joy in daily walks, cherishing my outdoor adventures. I seek three fulfilling outdoor hobbies meeting the following four criteria.
- Improves physical health (after all, healthy mind stays in a healthy body)
- Increases vitamin D intake, which improves bone and muscle health
- Reduces stress and increases energy
- Boosts mood — crucial for creative thinking.
Following the criteria, I selected three activities of varying difficulty levels for reader benefit: easy, moderate, and difficult.
A. Trekking or Hiking
Relatively difficult than the next two, both trekking and hiking in natural environments inspire creativity, with trekking involving more challenging terrain and requiring extra planning, equipment, and training compared to hiking. Fortunately, living near mountain trails has provided me with many opportunities for both activities.
What I liked about Trekking and Hiking:
- Quiet moments lead to self-discovery, vital for unlocking creativity, while group connections enhance human bonds.
- Enhances all 5 senses — smell, taste, vision, hearing, touch — this benefit is unique to this activity.
B. Aerobic Exercises
Trekking and hiking involve unstructured routes, while aerobic activities are moderate, rhythmic, and repetitive. Aerobics or cardio fascinates me because of its diversity, like jogging, swimming, running, and walking, which offer a range of intensities. For instance, I enjoy walking a lot!
What I like about Aerobic Exercises:
- No need for books, toys, games, or equipment. Just wear your sport shoes, choose an aerobics activity, and just do it.
- It’s tiring yet enjoyable, rigorous yet fun, habitual yet not boring — ideal for inspiring creative thinking. Isn’t it?
C. Gardening
Engaging in gardening is a new, challenging activity that combines art and science, and inspires creative thinking. With my farmer friend’s guidance, I pursued gardening interest in my house’s backyard. Beyond watering, gardening involves planting seeds, feeding birds, dissecting flowers, and more.
What I like about Gardening:
- I found it calming and transformative as my planted seed grew into a fruitful plant, feeling like my child.
- Let’s get our hands dirty, water plants, balance resources, and enjoy floral scents and fruity tastes. How could anything be more creative?
Conclusion
Being creative was a highly sought-after trait of the last decade. And now, as we progress further in the next decade, it is quite interesting to see how we further sharpen it to stay ahead in the game.
The above-mentioned simple and practical approaches of using books, mind games and outdoor activities are some of the easiest things we can adopt.
As I wish you to thrive alongside AI, happy to learn how you are progressing in this developmental journey!
Note: I am sharing some WEF’s ‘Future of Jobs’ reports for your reference — 2015, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2025, and 2035 perspective.