How To Have Great Ideas
And why your brain needs space to do so
You sit down to create something. You stare at the blank page or a timeline for 30 minutes. Nothing comes. You close the tab and tell yourself you’ll try tomorrow.
The problem isn’t that you lack ideas—it’s that you’re consuming without a system to connect them.
Most people think great ideas come from consuming more content. Watch another tutorial. Read another thread. But they actually come from synthesizing what you already have.
The Need For Boredom
Your brain has something called DMN (default mode network). It’s the part that activates when you’re bored, walking, or staring at the ceiling. This is when your subconscious processes information and connects dots you didn’t know existed.
But constant consumption keeps your mind in a narrow, focused state. You’re always taking in new information, never giving your brain time to process it. That’s why you can watch 100 videos and still have nothing when you sit down to create.
Great ideas aren’t invented from scratch. They’re synthesized from other ideas. But synthesis requires space. Boredom. Walks without music. Showers without watching YouTube.
So how do you actually do this?
The System
Note: Yes, I’m a video editor but the process should be very similar for other creative tasks.
I watch one to two videos every day, regardless of whether I’m currently working on something. Some are related to what I’m working on, and some are not.
When I see something I like, I pause the video, screenshot it, and save it to my inspiration bank (a Notion page).
I do this throughout the entire video. Then I stop watching anything.
I go for a walk or do anything that’s not work (the gym is great). This is where the magic happens—my brain starts connecting all these ideas and designs I just saved.
That means when I sit down to edit, I either already know what I’m making, or I spend 10 minutes reviewing my inspiration bank, take a quick walk, and when I return, I have things to create.
The result: I’m not copying. I’m synthesizing. Every edit pulls from five to ten different sources that my brain connected while I wasn’t trying.
The same applies to writing.
I’m always collecting for a project—a newsletter, social posts, advice to myself.
I watch videos, listen to podcasts, and write down ideas that light up my brain. Then I let it cook. I sit in silence. I live life. I do anything but force the writing.
When I finally sit down to write, I have my notes and the dots are already connected in my head.
Great ideas don’t come from grinding harder. They come from consuming with intent, then giving your brain space to do the work.
Go on more walks.
The Cathedral Effect
High ceilings make your brain think more abstractly. Low ceilings make you focus on details.
When you need ideas, go somewhere with space—a park, a coffee shop with high ceilings, anywhere that isn’t your cramped desk. Your brain will literally think bigger.
When you need to execute, return to your desk. Low ceilings help you focus on the details.
—Joni
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