When do you get your best ideas?

I normally sleep well, but sometimes I just can’t sleep because of all the thoughts buzzing around in my head.

So, I’ve learned over the years to keep a notepad and pen on my beside table to write them down, to get them out of my head, and when I do this my mind calms down and I can fall asleep.

But when I started doing this, something else happened before I fell asleep…

It was not just my mind mulling over the concerns of the day… I would get ideas… great ideas… useful ideas… and then I couldn’t sleep because I was worried that I would forget them!

So again, it was useful to write them down.

So, I’ve been used to getting ideas in bed at night, on my way off to sleep…

But recently, just in the last few weeks, I’ve found myself staying in bed when my alarm goes off.

I’ve allowed myself to stay in that half asleep, half awake state.

And I’ve watched as I wake up and thoughts start to flow through my mind.

And you know what? Something interesting has happened…

I’m getting some amazing ideas come to me at this time, too!

I’ve created this opportunity to be available to them as I stay in bed a while, rather than rushing out of bed to start my day.

And it feels like I’m tapping into the deeper, more knowledgeable part of my mind.

Our Own Supercomputer

Now, I’ve always appreciated the power of the mind.

We have a supercomputer with billions of connections… and access to enormous amounts of data.

And so I’ve been curious about how we go about tapping into the power of our mind…

Research has shown that people get their best ideas in bed, in the shower, when walking, driving, and other seemingly mundane and everyday activities…

But NOT when we are trying to get ideas!

In fact, it seems to be the opposite.

These are times when we’re not really thinking, when our minds are calm and relaxed or distracted by a simple task, a time when we find our minds wandering or daydreaming, like when we’re driving or washing the dishes.

As we go through our day, we’re often in a focussed, busy frame of mind, moving from one task to another.

Our days are normally packed with things to get done, so getting the space to relax and allow ideas to come to us from deep within our unconscious minds, or calming ourselves sufficiently enough that we can hear what our minds are wanting to tell us, is difficult… and increasingly rare.

So, what can we do?

Here are four simple guidelines you can follow to tap into the power of your mind…

(1) Recognise

Recognise that we have a processing powerhouse at our disposal…

A super computer that’s been taking in information from the moment of our birth and organising it for our benefit.

And appreciate that our mind has the power to offer us answers, insights, guidance, new ideas, and creative inspiration if we know how to ask and listen.

(2) Ask

Ask for help!

Imagine that you have an expert inside of you that you can ask for help… but the key thing here is that you need to ask!

Just like asking google or ask Siri, when I want an answer, an idea, or a solution to something, I ask my mind.

• “What’s the best way for me to achieve this?”
• “How can I overcome this obstacle?”
• “What’s a good name for this product?”
• “How should I approach this?”
• “What’s the best decision here?”
• “How should I respond to this person?”

I ask. Then I wait.

Can you see the difference in how we would normally do this?

Normally, we’d have a situation and try and figure it out.

We would try and think it through.

We’d force ourselves to come up with something.

The difference is in allowing the answers to come to you from the larger, more powerful, unconscious part of your mind, rather than trying to figure it out yourself, using the relatively limited conscious part of your mind.

We’re conditioned to think that when we want something, we have to DO something to get it, so it seems strange when the opposite is true… that relaxing will allow the answers and ideas come to you and trying or forcing will simply close off the connection with your mind.

So, remember to ask, then wait for the reply…

(3) Be Receptive

Give yourself the space in your day to receive information from your unconscious mind.

Go for a walk, wash the dishes, take a bath, have a run…

Whatever you do to switch off and calm your mind so you are in a receptive state.

(4) Write It Down

Document the ideas that come to you.

As I’ve said, I keep a notepad and pen by my bed.

Writing down the ideas you receive sends a message to your mind that you’re listening and what it has to say is important to you, which increases the connection and communication you have with this part of your mind.

That’s it!

It’s a few simple guidelines, I know, but if you take the time to follow them, you’ll soon be tapping into the power of your mind to get the answers, insights, ideas and creative inspiration you want!