Creativity break: how do you get into your creative zone? | Khan Academy

[Music]

I allow my brain to do the work to get into my creative zone when I have a problem to resolve. Sometimes I just sleep on it, and I let my subconscious mind work through resolving problems and solving problems. Our brains are always at work, like trying to be fragmented, break apart the things that we encounter.

So, I spend a little time thinking about how I can approach things creatively, and then I spend a little time not thinking about those things and allowing my brain and my subconscious mind to have an opportunity to do the work for me. A lot of times when I come back afterwards, I've got a great idea, I've got the answers, and I have new ways to solve and resolve things that I've been thinking about.

To get into my creative zone, I do something that I'd like to call productive procrastination. I start what I'm working on way before it's due, and then in fits and starts, I work well, giving my mind permission to wander to things that absolutely are not on the agenda. It's encouraged some of my most creative experiences—some of my best songwriting, educational videos, and even scientific breakthroughs—while I was supposed to be working on something totally unrelated.

And this won't work for everyone, but my mind is most creative when it's free to go on unplanned adventures. Good music also helps; a great playlist to me is worth its weight in gold. My playlists are special because they only include instrumental music and songs in languages that I don't actually speak, so my thoughts don't get too pulled into the lyrics themselves.