How to Have More Creative Ideas

Where do you find your creative ideas? Many people says they have more creative ideas In the shower. What is it about showers that enable such moments of brilliance?

The answer is complex, but one piece of the answer is that taking a shower provides us with uninterrupted quiet time when our minds are not yet cluttered with the worries and information of a new day. Another piece of the puzzle involves the way doing a monotonous task like drying dishes, exercising, or showering allows the parts of our brain that control focus and decision-making to relax. This in turn, reduces our conscious brain’s censoring power, allowing our unconscious brain freedom to come up with unconventional, unusual, creative ideas. Read more about the science behind this concept here.  

Fortunately for all of us, we can create a similar atmosphere to encourage brilliant thinking outside the shower. But it takes effort. Finding time away from the barrage of people and information demanding our attention can be challenging. Here are some suggestions to help you carve out time alone and settle your thoughts so you can give your subconscious a chance to come up with more creative ideas.

All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.

Blaise Pascal

5 quiet places to recharge yourself and foster more creative ideas (besides the shower)

Your favorite chair, at 5:00 am – How do you find peace and quiet in your very own home? Get up before the rest of the household or stay up after they’ve gone to bed. Whichever time is most productive for you, make the most of it.

A coffee shop – for many modern urbanites, a coffee shop is the sanctuary of choice. A quiet place to sit and think alongside others who are doing the same.

A library – Provides the same peaceful, alone-with-others atmosphere as a coffee shop, but without the barista.

Your own “quiet car” – Some commuter trains have “quiet cars” where phone conversations are prohibited and all talking is kept to a minimum. You can turn your vehicle into a quiet car. Turn off your music or podcasts and drive in silence for a while. If the silence is deafening, try talking to yourself or to God.

Create an unplugged zone – Pick a certain time of day or a certain place in your house and ban all devices. No phone, no computer, no TV, not even a radio. Instead, do something that recharges your batteries. Journal, daydream, doodle, exercise, or do a simple hobby like knitting.

3 activities to use the power of mindless tasks to boost your moments of inspiration

Exercise – Exercise is a powerful recharger. It sends more oxygen to the brain, distracts us from the worry rut we’re stuck in, and offers a monotonous activity that may open up space for creative thoughts. Many people find solo exercise to be the ultimate recharger. Go for a hike, a run, a bike ride or a swim.

Go for a stroll – We don’t need big chunks of time to benefit from movement. Even a short walk will help our brains and energy recharge. Ideally, go outside. Nature is a powerful restorative for our hearts, bodies, and souls. Head outdoors reap the benefits of the natural world to inspire, heal, and calm. When going outside isn’t feasible, even walking the hallways provides benefits and gives our brains a change of scenery and perspective.

Yoga – Yoga and similar mindful activities help us get out of our heads (including all those worries and to-dos that fill our thoughts). While doing yoga does require focus, it helps us move from our heads to our bodies and become more mindful of the present and of our senses. Yoga helps us grow calm, alleviate stress and recharge physical and emotional batteries.

Your Turn

If you’re looking for more creative ideas to inspire your next art project, keep your grandkids busy, or overcome the latest challenge at work, give one of these suggestions a try.

Looking for more ways to recharge your creative reservoir? Try this post.

Originally posted July 25, 2015. Updated May 20, 2024.