Last Friday I gave my first-ever solo webinar; it actually went very well. We talked about creativity and what is happening in the brain during creative thinking. Then we discussed ways that we can access that brain activity through some simple 5-minute brain-break type exercises. We covered a lot of ground in that hour.
I explained some of the brain science behind why we get lots of good ideas in weird situations: in the shower, driving a car, pulling weeds in the garden. When you focus directly on finding a creative solution, the ideas seem just out of reach. W
hen you turn your back on it for a few minutes, something useful will drift into your mind. Has that ever happened to you? There are real reasons for this, and the key is to be ready for the ideas when they come!
The shower is the most notorious place for creative thinking. I keep a notepad in the bathroom so I can scribble down all those thoughts as soon as I’ve dried off. This photo shows a week’s worth of possible solutions and good ideas!
(Check out this cool product: Aqua Notes–a waterproof notepad you hang in the shower!)
For ideas that come during driving, voice dictation is a safe way to create note after note on my smartphone. When I’m out running, each brilliant idea gets “stuck to a finger” so afterward I have a better chance of remembering each one.
Wherever it is that your good ideas flow, be sure you have a way to capture them.
It seems that creativity is like a butterfly. As long as you are chasing it, it will stay just beyond your grasp. But if you sit quietly, it might just land on your shoulder. Be sure you are ready to catch it when it does!
If you do nothing else after reading this post, at least get a notepad and pen and put it in the bathroom drawer! How do you capture the good ideas you get in the strangest of situations?
