http://the99percent.com/tips/7007/How-Mundane-Routines-Produce-Creative-Magic If you want to develop your ability to enter the creative zone at will, you should know that there are three conditions for a really effective hypnotic trigger:Uniqueness - it should be something (or a combination of things) you don’t associate with other activities, otherwise the effect will be diluted. Emotional intensity - the kind you experience when you’re really immersed in creative work. Repetition - the more times you experience the unique trigger in association with the emotions, the stronger the association becomes. So to fine-tune your daily routine for maximum creative magic, make sure the key triggers have these qualities. For example you might want to save a particular album for listening to while you work, or be careful not to use the same notepad for sketching ideas as for your to-do list. And when you have a particularly good day, make a note of something in your routine for that day, that you can associate with the emotional state - and use the same trigger the rest of the week. And next time you’re waiting in line for your morning coffee, next to people facing a day of mundane toil, think yourself lucky that your daily routine is a springboard to inspiration.

http://the99percent.com/tips/7007/How-Mundane-Routines-Produce-Creative-Magic

If you want to develop your ability to enter the creative zone at will, you should know that there are three conditions for a really effective hypnotic trigger:

  1. Uniqueness - it should be something (or a combination of things) you don’t associate with other activities, otherwise the effect will be diluted.
  2. Emotional intensity - the kind you experience when you’re really immersed in creative work.
  3. Repetition - the more times you experience the unique trigger in association with the emotions, the stronger the association becomes.

So to fine-tune your daily routine for maximum creative magic, make sure the key triggers have these qualities. For example you might want to save a particular album for listening to while you work, or be careful not to use the same notepad for sketching ideas as for your to-do list. And when you have a particularly good day, make a note of something in your routine for that day, that you can associate with the emotional state - and use the same trigger the rest of the week. 

And next time you’re waiting in line for your morning coffee, next to people facing a day of mundane toil, think yourself lucky that your daily routine is a springboard to inspiration.