Craig Verley

Where do your good ideas come from? When do you seem to have most of your “lightbulb” moments?

For me, my daily runs seem to be where ideas, inspirations, workarounds, etc., would most often come to me. I guess there was something about that time when it was just me, a few miles of pavement, music in my ear buds, and the cadence of my running that would allow my mind to wander in all sorts of directions. When I had the opportunity to let something simmer in the back of my mind for a while, solutions and ideas seemed to just pop out of nowhere during my runs. Then the biggest challenge would be trying to remember the idea until the end of my run or stopping for a moment to take a quick note in my phone.

Do you know when and where your ideas come from? Have you really stopped to think about that? If you do know the when and where, I hope you are making time for it regularly and not just as needed. Creativity and problem-solving can come at some interesting times and places, and allowing yourself those moments regularly is important. If something has been sitting in the back of your mind for a while, you may also find the regular opportunities for creativity allow for some pretty great solutions.

Team planning meetings and idea-generating gatherings can be good and very effective as well. Personally, I would not rely on them completely. Unless, of course, that is where your best stuff comes from. Then, by all means, keep them!

This is all about taking a moment to reflect upon where your creative breakthroughs tend to happen and then making sure you are building those times into your routine. Those lightbulb moments are a fun and rewarding part of what we do, so don’t limit the mental joys that come with them.

Keep nourishing your opportunities for creativity. That can be one of the best and most rewarding parts of our job!