Tried and True Practices to Help Get in the Flow

Ah, yes, inspiration.
That elusive spark.
The surge of clarity when ideas align.
We jerk it around like it’s just another buzzword.
But buried in it is something ancient, something divine.

If you work in a creative capacity, you know it well.
If not, it can feel like chasing a mirage.

Good news? It’s a muscle.
You can train it to show up.
Better news? You don’t need rituals or wishful thinking to snag it.

The word comes from the Latin root inspirare.
Essentially, it means “to breathe into.”

Originally, it was more than just getting motivated.
It was about being moved by a force beyond yourself.
As if spirit itself was blowing through you.
Presence meeting possibility.

But inspiration isn’t a magic pill.
It’s actually a state of being.
A clear mind.
Open attention.
Room for the right signal to land.

Most days, it’s a grind.
You can’t force it.
You can’t bully it.
You can’t conjure it on command.

But you can make space for it.
And you can create the conditions for where and how it shows up.

Here are 5 ways to jumpstart getting in the spirit.

1) Move Yo’ Body

Research at Stanford found a 90-minute walk in nature reduced rumination.
Another Stanford study showed walking boosts creative output.

Steve Jobs built his life around walking meetings.

Illustrator Oamul Lu credits showers. Simple, embodied movements for triggering his sharpest ideas.

And contemporary designers?
Many swear by pacing the studio to get the inspirare juices flowing.

Now imagine that.
Just moving your body can unlock stuck ideas?

Why does it work?

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) shows
That natural environments replenish our depleted focus.
Urban or rural, exposure to green or blue spaces
Resets your attention and opens cognitive bandwidth.

Movement frees the mind.
When your body goes on autopilot
Your brain is suddenly unshackled.
It stops obsessing over the problem and
Starts making unexpected connections.

That’s not a hack.
That’s physiology.

So the next time you’re feeling stuck?
Don’t push through it.
Take a hike. Literally.

Let your body move so your mind can follow.

2) Get Distracted

Robert Rauschenberg was famous for surrounding himself with clutter.

J.R.R. Tolkien scribbled epic world-building notes while grading endless student papers.

Respected Creative producer
Rick Rubin calls it “leaving room for God.” That great art comes when you let distractions create cracks in the ordinary.

This isn’t chaos. It’s fuel.
It’s not multitasking.
It’s a tuning fork for creativity.

Why does it work?

Because distraction isn’t always the enemy.

Sometimes it’s the playground.
Sometimes it’s snacking while you work (that’s what I do).
Sometimes it’s watering the garden.
Sometimes it’s household chores like vacuuming or washing dishes.

That mundane task or background hum
Gives your conscious brain the stimulation it requires,
And leaves an open field for your subconscious brain to play.

That’s why “productive distractions” work.
They loosen your grip.
They serve as main-brain filler.

They shift your awareness just enough
For inspiration to sneak in through the side door.

3) Seek the silence

David Lynch starts every day with 20 minutes of transcendental meditation.

LeBron James does the same. He says meditation gives him space to reset—to perform at his highest level.

In restful states, your brain’s “story network” knits ideas together. That idle hum isn’t laziness. It’s wiring For Firing.

Silence isn’t empty.
It’s a stage for your subconscious.

David Lynch leans on Transcendental Meditation for this very reason:

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you stay in the shallow water. But if you want big fish, you’ve got to go deeper.”

Even brief pauses like a quiet walk, or a tech-free hour
Allows your brain to make new connections
It can’t make under constant input.

And modern neuroscience backs it up.
Quiet time reduces activity in the “default mode network.”
That’s the chatterbox in your brain that replays old thoughts.
When that noise lowers, your subconscious gets a clear stage to wander.

Why does it work?

Because your mental bank account is always being spent.
Silence is the reset button.
It’s the peaceful room where new ideas actually have space to arrive.

You can’t hear inspiration if the volume never drops.
Quiet is where it whispers.

It’s not the absence of sound.
It’s the presence of possibility.

4) Do it Out of order

Routines make life efficient, but they also put creativity on autopilot. Novelty is jet fuel for inspiration

David Bowie famously Innovated by immersing himself in new cultures and unfamiliar rhythms.

Maya Angelou Rented hotel rooms. just empty spaces, stripped of her usual surroundings.

Even something as simple as changing your morning routine
Or working from a different space can break mental patterns.

And science confirms it.

A 2012 study showed that novelty,
Something as small as taking a different route to work,
Sparks dopamine, the neurotransmitter tied to learning and creativity.

New inputs drive new connections.
Enriched environments build plasticity.

Why does this work?

Because routines are double-edged swords.
They create discipline, but they also create blinders.
If every day looks the same, your brain stops making fresh connections.

Breaking routine is how you jolt yourself awake.
It’s a reminder that the world is bigger than your habits.

5) OPtimize WHAT YOUR ISP CAN’t

Cal Newport calls it “Deep Work.” protecting your mental bandwidth is the single most important factor for high-level creative output.

On average, Our brains Roughly PROCESS 34 gigabytes of information every day.
That’s OVERLOAD and strains the best systems.

Bill Gates famously Takes “Think Weeks.” He seeks refuge in remote places with nothing but books and a notepad.

The flood is real.
Endless pings.
Endless tabs.
Exhausted and overstimulated.

When bandwidth maxes out, problem-solving tanks.
John Sweller’s work shows it plainly: reduce load, raise performance.

And psychologists point out something simple:
Willpower and attention are limited resources.
Burn through them on junk inputs,
And you won’t have any left for real work.

Why does this matter?

Because inspiration demands lots of energy.
If your mental RAM is maxed out on notifications and stimuli,
There’s zero room for novel connections.

Inspiration needs space.
It demands attention.

That’s why bandwidth management isn’t optional.
It’s a core foundation.

Protect your attention like it’s the most valuable resource you own,
And it becomes fertile soil.
The grounds where inspiration grows and flourishes.

Inspiration isn’t a lightning bolt.
It’s a current.
It flows when you clear the channels.

When you’re feeling stuck,
Remember these 5 ways to kickstart that creative spark plug:

✚ Move yo’ body.
✚ Get distracted.
✚ Seek the silence.
✚ Do it out of order.
✚ Optimize bandwidth.

Do these things, and inspiration isn’t something you chase.
It’s something that finds you.

And when it does?
It won’t feel like effort.
It’ll feel like breath.

Like spirit itself moving through you. ⚑

5 Ways To Jumpstart Inspiration

1) Move Yo’ Body

Research at Stanford found a 90-minute walk in nature reduced rumination.Another Stanford study showed walking boosts creative output.

Steve Jobs built his life around walking meetings.

Illustrator Oamul Lu credits showers. Simple, embodied movements for triggering his sharpest ideas.

2) Get Distracted

Robert Rauschenberg was famous for surrounding himself with clutter.

J.R.R. Tolkien scribbled epic world-building notes while grading endless student papers.

Respected Creative producer Rick Rubin calls it “leaving room for God.” That great art comes when you let distractions create cracks in the ordinary.

3) Seek the silence

David Lynch starts every day with 20 minutes of transcendental meditation.

LeBron James does the same. He says meditation gives him space to reset—to perform at his highest level.

In restful states, your brain’s “story network” knits ideas together. That idle hum isn’t laziness. It’s wiring For Firing.

4) Do it Out of order

Routines make life efficient, but they also put creativity on autopilot. Novelty is jet fuel for inspiration

David Bowie famously Innovated by immersing himself in new cultures and unfamiliar rhythms.

Maya Angelou Rented hotel rooms. just empty spaces, stripped of her usual surroundings.

5) OPtimize WHAT YOUR ISP CAN’t

Cal Newport calls it “Deep Work.” protecting your mental bandwidth is the single most important factor for high-level creative output.

On average, Our brains Roughly PROCESS 34 gigabytes of information every day.That’s OVERLOAD and strains the best systems.

Bill Gates famously Takes “Think Weeks.” He seeks refuge in remote places with nothing but books and a notepad.

Prime Time

Research at Stanford found a 90-minute walk in nature reduced rumination.
Another Stanford study showed walking boosts creative output.

Respected Creative producer
Rick Rubin calls it “leaving room for God.” That great art comes when you let distractions create cracks in the ordinary.

On average, Our brains Roughly PROCESS 34 gigabytes of information every day.
That’s OVERLOAD and strains the best systems.