I used to do creativity exercises with my university students. One of the activities was called ‘Forced Analogy’–take two random objects/ideas and come up with ways they are alike.

The exercise forces you to think in strange ways, and to examine the fundamental nature of each thing.

Using a handy online random word generator, I gave myself the following challenge today: How is a teenager like a shed?

1. There are lots of different types of shed and teen, and each type is good at different things.
2. A teenager, like a shed, can be gussied up. You can make it look nice on the outside, but inside it will always be a mess.
3. You may know for certain you’ve put something into the shed (or the teen), but once in there, it’s lost forever.
4. Keeping your shed and your teenager organised are both impossible.
5. Sometimes, you find the most surprising things inside–a long-lost treasure, or something you never knew was there.
6. Occasionally, both smell like dead rats.
7. Neither one will ever thank you for cleaning.
8. Both require regular maintenance.
9. You can learn a lot about a family by closely observing their shed…or their teen.
10. Everyone expects them to have a few blemishes.
11. They tend to accumulate rubbish.
12. After having one for a while, it’s hard to imagine life without one.