Ever find yourself stuck in a creative rut, staring at your screen, waiting for inspiration to strike, but coming up empty?
Same here.
Last week I was trying to generate ideas for a piece of content. I had every tool at my disposal: AI prompts, swipe files, past examples, but nothing was landing. The more I pushed, the less progress I made.
So, I stepped away from my desk and took a walk.
No podcast. No calls. Just me, walking without any specific agenda. And somewhere around the halfway mark, the ideas started showing up clearer, stronger, and with more energy than before.
Here’s why that happens:
There’s something powerful about engaging in low-effort, repetitive tasks. Examples are things like walking, folding laundry, taking a shower, or even organizing a drawer. These actions free up mental space, allowing our brains to enter what psychologists call the default mode network.
This is the part of the brain associated with creative thinking, problem-solving, and insight. When you stop trying to force a solution and give your mind space to wander, new ideas are more likely to emerge.
In short: mindless busyness isn’t a distraction. It’s an underused creativity tool.
How to Harness It (Without Feeling Unproductive)
If you’re looking to break through a creative block, try using mindless busyness intentionally. To remember the steps, think CLIP:
1. Choose. Choose a simple, repetitive task. As mentioned above, this can be walking, cleaning, gardening, or doing dishes… anything that keeps your hands or body occupied without demanding full attention.
2. Leave room. Create space for your mind to wander. Skip the music or podcasts. Resist the urge to multitask. The goal is to create mental whitespace.
3. Idea capture. Inspiration will strike when you least expect it (that’s the point). Make sure you have a way to jot it down, like in a notes app, by sending yourself a voice memo, or keeping a notepad nearby.
4. Productivity redefined. We often associate productivity with visible output. But some of our most valuable ideas happen behind the scenes so when you do come up with that next big idea. Sometimes you have to slow down to speed up, but it practice, it’s incredibly hard to do. Reward yourself when you do it by recognizing it as actual work.
Parting thoughts
There’s a cultural pressure to constantly be doing, producing, and problem-solving. But when it comes to creativity, stepping away might actually be your most strategic move.
So next time you hit a wall, give yourself permission to take a break, not to disconnect from the work, but to reconnect with your ideas.
Your next breakthrough might just be waiting in the laundry pile.
Leave a Reply