Good Thinking

> Where do you do your best thinking? Have you ever thought about it? 

> When I was in college, I learned that focusing on something OTHER than what I was trying to solve was the answer to solving creative challenges. 

> I had a creative writing class, and I had been struggling with an assignment. I just couldn't come up with anything that I was happy with. I gave up for the time being, not because I knew it would help me focus, but because I just wasn't getting anywhere with it. We didn't have a dishwasher, and anyone who knows me, knows that dirty dishes in the sink or especially on the counter are a huge pet peeve. They call to me and won't leave me alone til they are cleaned and put away. So, later that day when I had my hands in the hot sudsy water, the solution to my creative writing class just came to me! I was so excited! I have also realized that I have a lot of "creative breakthroughs" while in the shower (what is it with me and warm water??) Anyway, a lot of times, when a solution just isn't coming to me, I try to take a break. I've found that when I get away from the blank monitor, or the empty notebook page—the pressure to create is gone, and my imagination is free to do what it does best, in the way it's most effective.

> What about you? Have you figured out where and how you do your best thinking?