To (sort of) tie in with the Bnet's (see Links for Me) latest topic on creativity and how to inspire and effectively utilise it in the workplace, I will share my personal perspective on creativity.
Some of my best thinking happens when I am in the bathroom.
It applies to when I shower or when I am on the throne.
My theory is that at these moments, the body is at its most relaxed state. Maybe then, certain nervous impulses kick in on some cranial lobe that facilitates lateral thinking. After all, the "Eureka!" moment happened when Archimedes was in the tub.
Some of these ideas I get do translate into actual personal action items that materialise (whether execution bit succeeds will remain a topic for debate at a later time). What frustrates me sometimes is that I would have this absolutely brilliant idea (like the one I had just before I had my shower today), and promptly forget it by the time I get out. All I will have left is this lingering synaptic after-effect telling me "That was good, write it down! / Goddammit, can't remember!!". When I install my bathroom (in a future far far away), I will have whiteboards and voice-activated recorders installed with the plumbing. The good people of Syracuse would probably have been spared from the sight of Archimedes and all his glory if he had done that.
