Get Input First

A blank slate is the most difficult place to come up with a great idea. It's directionless, aimless, and frustrating. If you have a specific goal that you need to accomplish, ask questions and get as much information as you can before you mull it over. If you have to create something out of the ether,embrace your bad ideas. Explore everything. You don't have to come up with a genius thought right off the bat. You just need something to put into your brain. This gives you something to process when you get to those alpha and theta states.P

Start with anything, then iterate. Continually Improve = Kaizen.

Know Your Idea Pools

If you're doing some creative work, it helps to look at similar work before you get started. As an example, before I fire up Photoshop to do some messing around, I like to check out Art of the Title, which showcases and discusses motion picture title sequences. Maybe you have a favorite playlist. Maybe you prefer to hit up the first random thing on Netflix. Whatever work it is that you do, there's never a reason to lack inspiration.

Creativity can come from many different places. Sometimes when we're at the gym or showering.

Make it as Easy as Possible to Document Ideas

When inspiration finally does strike, you don't want to have to muck about with a pen with no ink or clumsy software. Everyone has their own way of documenting their ideas, but when that time comes, the important thing is that you're able to do it as easily as possible. It's particularly important to make sure that you have a way to document ideas when you're in bed. As we stated before, there are no bad ideas, so write down everything. Notes cost nothing, but a missed stroke of brilliance can never be recovered.

I wonder if there's any difference between writing by hand, vs recording digitally.

http://lifehacker.com/5738093/why-you-learn-more-effectively-by-writing-than-typing

Sweet! In your face, Evernote!! I'm getting a pencil...