Keep some boredom buffer.

So the thing about creativity is that you can’t schedule creativity in between appointments. 

Tracy Matthews said this in this week’s episode of Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy podcast. That explains a lot, doesn’t it? When you start your day with emails, social media, meal planning, paying bills etc. by 11am, you’re so exhausted that every idea coming to you seems like your brain is the world’s worst gutter.

Which is why I typically write in the mornings and schedule meetings in the PM. 

I spend some time over the weekend just letting my mind wander around possibilities — podcast, paid newsletter, online course, a mastermind community are some ideas I’m exploring now.

There are so many nights when I’m tired, but not sleepy. Tired means that I can’t read or even watch anything meaningful. This is also a great time to just imagine things without seeking validation or support from the Internet.

The short of it is: Allow yourself to be bored. Let the brain struggle without being bombarded with books, TV, Twitter, Instagram, Solitaire etc. I’ve had some of my best ideas from there!

Also, I sometimes wake up miraculously thinking up solutions to complex problems that seemed impossible the previous night. Strange, eh?