How to Be Creative—Plus All the Perks It Has for Your Brain Innovative thinking is like strengthtraining for your brain, sharpeningproblem-solving and slashing stress. These five fresh science-backed strategieswill teach you how to boost your creativity. The 5 to 10 minutes before falling asleep and the 5 to 10 minutes after waking upare when your brain is most creative. To tap into this super-creative time, keepa notebook and a pen by your bed to writedown any ideas that you come up with. You do your most creative thinkingwhen you’re a little out of your depth. So, when brainstorming, generate moreideas than you normally would, andtest your second-favorite concept. Open-monitoring meditationencourages "divergent thinking,"which generates creative ideas. Being outdoors also feeds thecreative process: get outside for30 minutes a day to reap the benefits. Drawing, photography, improv, dancing,and writing can help make it easier toaccess creativity in all areas of your life. Even "pointless" activities likedoodling and daydreaming help youaccess different corners of your brain.