Prepare

As the last few missions have been about exercising the brain, this one is your pit stop. The goal is simple: perform mindless activities somewhere in a mentally exhausting schedule. And as soon as an idea appears, note it down in your idea journal.

You can plan one or multiple mindless breaks in your day. Some suggestions are:

• Pomodoro: Work in 25 or 30-minute periods, followed by a break of 5-10 minutes doing a mindless activity like washing dishes or organizing room. This can boost both productivity and creativity at work

• Shower: Take showers with a relaxed mind. Plan them well so you have 20-30 minutes without interruption. This can help come up with new ideas or solutions to existing problems

• Walk: Wander aimlessly, preferably early morning or late night, away from any distractions. This can have the same effect on ideas as a shower

• Exercise: If you have been working out for a while, then your workouts run mostly on procedural memory. This cuts off systematic thinking, making it one of the best periods for idea generation

Some precautions can help as well:

• Block distractions: Avoid anything that draws your attention. It could be phone notifications, a podcast, new music (familiar favorites are fine), walking in a new environment, or a new exercise

• Avoid urgency: When you enter your mindless break, your mind should be free from urgency. For example, taking a shower when already running late to the office may have no benefit in problem-solving

In the end, be patient. Especially, if you are not aware of the mindless activity that gets your creative juices flowing you need to experiment quite a bit, giving each of the suggested activities at least a month.

Remember, this is a long-term game, and there is no guarantee of ideas popping in every session. But as long as you are struggling with a problem, there is always hope that the solution is awaiting you in the next mindless session 😊