Keep Your Mind Idle: The Super Hack To Being Creative
I can’t count how many creative ideas have hit me in the toilet or shower, while doing the dishes, or even in traffic. For example, the idea for this article jumped at me while turning food in the humid air of my kitchen.
I finetuned the idea in the shower as I washed the sweat off me and had already arranged the paragraphs by the time I dried my body with a towel. Now, I’m sitting at my desk, with water dripping from my hair as I frantically scribble out the first draft on paper.
Honestly, this is how most ideas come.
When I use idle in this context, what should come to mind is the image of a car.
A car is said to be ‘idling’ when the engine is left running, but it remains in a parked position. This technique is also applicable to the mind of a creative.
There is something profoundly mind-opening about mindless work. Your body is carrying out an activity that doesn’t require active brain decision, which leaves your brain to — run in the background.
How does that work?
When you lie down, your mind wanders haphazardly and unproductively. When you are hard at work or in a class, the brain is encumbered with analysis, making it hard to generate new ideas. But whenever you are ‘actively doing nothing,’ the brain begins to ruminate on idea triggers that you have been pondering on.
If you sit at a desk staring at a blank page or canvas, you may not see a way through your questions. But the instant you get up to leave, you move the creative software to the background. This reduces the inhibitions and silences the critical voice, thereby helping you think clearly.
Let’s break it down.
TRIGGER
First, you need a trigger. It would be best if you had something precise you’re thinking about. Something you’re trying to create, a question you want to solve, a keyword to explore, a topic to break down. It may even be an experience you want to wrap your head around or an emotion you want to savor.
If you don’t have targets, you give your mind nothing to aim at.
INFORMATION
The next thing you need is information. You can’t produce beyond the information that you have. Fill your mind with relevant data that may or may not help you. Listen to a podcast, read an article, watch a YouTube video, have a conversation with someone, etc.
Basically, seek out the answer diligently, then go home and wait for it to find you.
STAY IDLE
Thirdly, stay idle. Find an activity or task that you can do without thinking. Jogging, bird watching, driving, dancing, etc. I find that house chores work best for me since I have to do them anyways.
It is important to note that scrolling through social media does not count as idling. This is because social media feeds you new information at a fairly fast pace. It is the equivalent of reading a calculus textbook because it engages the mind. You sometimes don’t notice the world around you when you scroll through social media because your attention [active brain] is being occupied.
The ultimate goal is idling, not idleness. The trick is not doing nothing. It is engaging in activities that free you up to higher vibrations.
So, the next time you run out of creative ideas, try to clean up your room. The answer may just be lying under that pile of clothes.
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