The Importance of Vision.
Ok, obviously it's important to be able to see, though some would rightfully argue that idea. Regardless, that isn't at all the type of vision I'm speaking of. What I'm referencing is having the ability to "see" moves that you can't even imagine. To attempt sequences that you couldn't possibly dream up.
How?
It's actually pretty simple. I realized not long ago, about the time I started taking my power training seriously, that it was quite difficult to set problems for myself that were at or above my limit. Never mind ones that forced me to learn new techniques... those were fairly impossible to create. I climbed at a gym that (at the time) had very little (and even less good) bouldering. I was setting the hardest problems, so I was essentially banging my head into a ceiling I had created. After much sulking, I hit upon two easy solutions that have each in turn given my power big, noticeable boosts.
1. It's Laughable.
When you're rooting through your hold buckets for the perfect crimps for your next amazing project, there is one criteria the holds must fit. They must make you laugh. By bolting holds onto the wall that I'm sure I can't even begin to hold onto, I've created several problems that ended up feeling like benchmarks for me when they went down. Not every hold needs to make you cackle... use your discretion. At first just put a few nasty holds into the mix, and no doubt pretty soon you'll be wanting to laugh at more problems.
2. Study Hard.
One of the best things that happened to my climbing this winter was that my gym, Rockquest, built a new boulder, The Anvil.
Sure, having an amazing new topout boulder is great, but that isn't the whole reason I'm psyched. The Anvil brought in something our gym didn't have... boulderers. Several of the strongest in town began frequenting Rockquest, and I've been eager to learn. Lately I've been sessioning with local strongmen Dan Rush, Aaron Schneider, and Kory Cooper-Fenske, along with motivated Rockquest regulars Justin Riddell and Ben Cassel. Some of these guys are around my ability level, some are miles ahead of me. They all have unique styles and strengths that allow them to set unique problems that I would never come up with on my own. I often see Aaron do moves that I can't even fathom, but I try them. Once in a while I surprise myself, but always I get a glimpse into what the next level feels like.
There are aspects of climbing outside that lead us into learning specific things that we don't necessarily find as easily indoors.