Circuit of Ideas vs. How to Make Ideas: A Thorough Comparison | Which One Gets Your Proposal Approved? 2026 Edition

You submit a proposal and get put on hold with "Sounds good, but..." day after day. Ryo Nakagawa's The Circuit of Ideas (Diamond社, published June 2023, list price ¥1,760) and another classic, A Technique for Producing Ideas. Which should you read first to make your proposals more likely to get approved? To cut to the conclusion: if the reason your proposals aren't getting approved lies in the "framework before the idea itself," then The Circuit of Ideas is the right choice; if you want to increase the sheer volume of ideas, then A Technique for Producing Ideas is the right fit. In this article, we compare the frameworks of both books and determine which one suits your situation.

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Verdict Box: For working professionals who struggle to get proposals approved and worry that they "lack creativity," we recommend The Circuit of Ideas. The book explicitly states that neither "personal creativity" nor "blind effort" is necessary (Diamond Online, July 15, 2023), and presents a system for "bringing in" ideas rather than "creating" them. The fastest route is to first read Chapter 1 via the free preview or at a library, then try just one framework in your actual work.

Why Proposals Get Rejected: The Difference in the Two Books' Premises

The author of The Circuit of Ideas (Hasso no Kairo), Ryo Nakagawa, worked at Dentsu and Google, and won first place at an international advertising festival. The core premise of the book is that "ideas are born from systems, not talent." In a Diamond Online article (dated July 8, 2023), Nakagawa states, "Neither personal taste nor blind effort is necessary. Train your brain by learning from great ideas that others have recognized."

In contrast, A Technique for Producing Ideas by James W. Young is a classic from the 1940s, based on the principle that "an idea is a new combination of existing elements," and proposes a five-step process (gathering → digestion → incubation → illumination → verification). This book focuses on how to collect and combine the "raw materials" of ideas.

In other words, the two books offer different diagnoses for the same symptom of "proposals not getting approved."

The "Circuit of Ideas" Framework: Bring It In Rather Than Create It

The hallmark of Nakagawa's methodology is not "creating" ideas from scratch, but "bringing in" existing excellent ideas. A note article (April 16, 2026, by Hiroki Horie) makes a similar point—"For ideas that gain traction, 'bringing in' beats 'creating'"—but Nakagawa has systematized this approach.

Specifically, he advocates the following circuit:

1. Collect outstanding examples: Analyze award-winning ads and hit campaigns by structure, not by emotion
2. Extract the pattern: Identify the common "mechanism that moves people" across examples and turn it into a template
3. Transplant it into your own context: Apply the extracted template to your product, customers, and timing
4. Check it with someone else's head: Always verify your proposed idea from another person's perspective (Diamond Online, July 8, 2023)

Nakagawa points out that this "check with someone else's head" step is the biggest gap for people whose proposals get rejected. Bosses and clients don't judge based on "your idea" but on "whether the customer will act." Building that perspective in from the start is the core of this framework.

Concrete Example: The "Bring It In" Effect in Numbers

Suppose you are tasked with a "training program for new hires." If you start from zero, you'll end up with a vague idea like "a training program that feels like a game." But using the method from The Circuit of Ideas, you first collect three examples of "training that moved people" and extract their common structure. For instance, if you spot the pattern "① time limit ② team competition ③ rewards visible immediately," you transplant that into your own training program. "A team-based quiz where new hires learn the company's history in 30 minutes, with the winners receiving a lunch voucher with the CEO"—this is not "created" but "brought in," yet your approval odds with the boss rise dramatically.

The Process of "How to Get Ideas": Mass-Producing Inspiration in 5 Stages

Young's classic was groundbreaking in that it transformed idea generation from "innate talent" into a "reproducible process." The five stages are as follows:

1. Gathering raw material: Collect specific materials related to the theme, along with general materials from everyday trivia
2. Digesting the material: Combine the collected fragments in your mind and explore their connections
3. Incubation: Stop conscious effort and entrust the problem to your subconscious
4. Illumination: The idea strikes in an unexpected moment—while bathing or taking a walk
5. Verification: Refine the idea against real-world conditions

The strength of this process lies in its explicit inclusion of the "incubation" stage. Many people give up thinking, "If it doesn't come to me, I lack talent," but Young teaches that "the time spent not thinking" is also part of the process.

A Concrete Example: Practicing the 5 Stages

Suppose you are tasked with "a plan to reduce churn among existing customers." ① First, you collect data on cancellation reasons and examples of other companies' customer retention strategies. ② You combine the fragments—"cancellation reason = price" and "retention strategy = discount." ③ At this point, you stop working at your desk and set the matter aside for a day. ④ The next morning during your commute, it strikes you: "Perhaps the reason for cancellation is not price, but the inflexibility of payment methods." ⑤ As verification, you check surveys from churned customers and polish the idea into a plan offering "monthly and annual payment options."

Thorough Comparison: Which Book Should You Read First?

If you're struggling with "proposals getting rejected," we recommend The Circuit of Ideas. The reason is that the book clearly lays out the formula for "proposals that get approved." In a Diamond Online feature article (dated July 15, 2023), Nakagawa states that to solve the problems of "can't come up with ideas" and "proposals get rejected," "neither personal taste nor blind effort is required." This is a message that directly refutes your self-doubt of "I don't have a knack for this."

On the other hand, if you want to "increase the volume of your ideas" or "build a well of inspiration," go with How to Make Ideas. It's a classic, but it remains effective today for those who want to change the very habit of gathering raw material for ideas.

The Ultimate Way to Use Both Books Together: 3 Steps

These two books do not contradict each other—they simply cover different stages of the process. Using them together works effectively as follows:

1. Build your creative foundation with A Technique for Producing Ideas: Spend 10 minutes a day for one month clipping articles or ads that catch your attention. This is what Young calls "gathering raw material."
2. Learn the patterns of planning with The Circuit of Ideas: Analyze your clipped examples through the structure of "why they moved people." Practice Nakagawa's "checking with someone else's mind" by asking a colleague instead of your boss.
3. Apply the patterns and write your proposal: Fit your company's product into the extracted pattern, and write at the beginning of your proposal: "This plan is a transplant of the structure from a successful case study of ◯◯." This alone makes it look like a "strategy" rather than a "spur-of-the-moment idea."

Common Mistakes: Why Reading Two Books Still Doesn't Get Your Proposal Approved

1. Reading and feeling satisfied: Knowing the framework alone won't change your actions. You must apply it to one proposal and show it to your boss—that's the full package.
2. Copying the template verbatim: The "bring it in" approach from The Circuit of Ideas is about transplanting structure, not copying content word-for-word. Unless you tailor it to your company's customers, products, and timing, it becomes a "proposal I've seen somewhere before."
3. Skipping the incubation period: In the five stages of How to Make Ideas, "incubation" is the most overlooked. Instead of thinking right up until the deadline, you need the courage to deliberately set it aside for a day.
4. Treating others' feedback as a formality: Asking "What do you think?" won't make the other person take it seriously. Only by asking "What do you think is weak? Be specific" does the "other person's brain" actually start working.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How many pages does "The Circuit of Ideas" (Hasso no Kairo) have? A: It has 248 pages (according to Diamond Inc.'s official book information, ISBN 9784478117408). It is a standard-format paperback that can be finished in about a week during a commute. Each chapter is divided into short sections, and the structure allows you to put the frameworks into practice right away.

Q2: Is "How to Make Ideas" (Aidea no Tsukurikata) still worth reading today? A: Yes, it is. Although it was originally published in 1940, the principle that "ideas are combinations of existing elements" still holds true in the age of AI. In fact, now that information gathering has become easier, the process of "collecting materials → digesting them → incubating" described in this book is what sets you apart.

Q3: Is it inefficient to read both books at the same time? A: It is not inefficient, but the recommended approach is to "read one book and immediately apply it to one project." If you read both at the same time, the knowledge gets mixed up and you end up unable to use either framework. The standard path is to first learn the framework for "proposals that get approved" from "The Circuit of Ideas," and then increase the volume of your ideas with "How to Make Ideas."

Q4: Isn't the real reason proposals get rejected actually a lack of "talent"? A: Ryo Nakagawa explicitly states that "neither personal talent nor blind effort is necessary" (Diamond Online, July 15, 2023). The book's position is that proposals fail not because of a lack of talent, but because people simply don't know the "mechanism for getting them approved," and that mechanism can be learned.

Q5: Is there an electronic version available? A: Yes, "The Circuit of Ideas" is published in both print and electronic formats (Diamond Inc. official website). The electronic version can be purchased on Kindle and other platforms, and it is suitable for those who want to refer back to the frameworks later using the search function.

Q6: Should I read other books on proposal techniques besides these two? A: It is enough to practice with these two books first. That's because most proposals fail not due to a "lack of knowledge" but due to a "lack of structure." It is more efficient to apply the frameworks from these two books at least three times before choosing your next book.

Conclusion: How to Take the First Step

The "you" at the beginning—those days when your proposal comes back with "Nice, but..." The cause isn't your sense or talent; it's simply that you don't know the "mechanism to get it approved." The Circuit of Ideas presents that mechanism as a concrete circuit.

The first steps you can take starting today are any of the following:

• Browse Chapter 1 of The Circuit of Ideas at a bookstore and confirm one concrete example of "bringing it in"
• Borrow it from the library and finish reading page 248 within a week
• After reading, rewrite one of your currently shelved proposals using the book's framework

The difference between those whose proposals get approved and those whose don't is not whether they've read it, but whether they've used it. Read this book and apply it to one proposal right now. That alone will transform your proposal from a "spur-of-the-moment idea" into a "strategy."

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Methodology: This review aggregates publicly available data from the publisher's official page (diamond.co.jp), Diamond Online articles, and independent commentary on note.com, verified on 2026-09-13. The editorial team has not personally tested the frameworks described beyond reading the cited sources. For our hands-on testing protocol when implemented, see our methodology.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links — we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you if you purchase through them. Compensation does not influence our rankings or verdicts; see our editorial policy.

FAQ

How many pages does "The Circuit of Ideas" have?

It has 248 pages (according to Diamond Inc.'s official book information, ISBN 9784478117408). It is a 46-size paperback that can be read in about a week during a commute. Each chapter is short and structured so you can immediately put the frameworks into practice.

Is "A Technique for Producing Ideas" still worth reading today?

Yes. Although it was originally published in 1940, the principle that "an idea is a combination of existing elements" still holds true in the age of AI. In fact, now that gathering information has become easier, the process in this book—"gathering material → digesting it → incubation"—has become a differentiating factor.

Is it inefficient to read both books at the same time?

It is not inefficient, but the recommendation is to "read one book and immediately apply it to one project." If you read both at the same time, the knowledge gets mixed up and you end up unable to use either method. The standard approach is to first learn the "framework for proposals that get approved" from "The Circuit of Ideas," and then use "A Technique for Producing Ideas" to increase the volume of your ideas.

Isn't the real reason proposals fail really a lack of "talent"?

Ryo Nakagawa explicitly states that "neither personal talent nor blind effort is necessary" (Diamond Online, July 15, 2023). The book's position is that proposals fail simply because people "don't know the mechanism for getting them approved," and that mechanism can be learned.

Is there an electronic version?

Yes, "The Circuit of Ideas" is published in both print and electronic versions (Diamond Inc. official website). The electronic version can be purchased on Kindle and other platforms, and it is suitable for those who want to refer back to the frameworks later using the search function.

Should I read other books on proposal techniques besides these two?

It is enough to first put these two books into practice. Many proposals fail not because of "lack of knowledge" but because of "lack of structure." It is efficient to apply the frameworks from these two books at least three times before choosing your next book.

Sources & Verification

This article was fact-checked on 2026-09-13. Key claims:

• "The Circuit of Ideas is written by Ryo Nakagawa, priced at 1,760 yen (1,600 yen + tax), published in June 2023, 248 pages" — verified via https://www.diamond.co.jp/book/9784478117408.html on 2026-09-13
• "Ryo Nakagawa states that 'neither personal taste nor blind effort is necessary'" — verified via https://diamond.jp/articles/-/326181 on 2026-09-13
• "Ryo Nakagawa emphasizes the importance of 'thinking with your own head and checking with someone else's head'" — verified via https://diamond.jp/articles/-/325783 on 2026-09-13
• "The Circuit of Ideas is introduced as a book for learning how to come up with 'proposals that get approved'" — verified via https://diamond.jp/articles/-/325609 on 2026-09-13
• "The observation that 'growing ideas are not "created" but "brought in"' has been published on note" — verified via https://note.com/horie_skillskip/n/n0846090387bd on 2026-09-13