An article in the October 2008 issue of Body + Soul magazine by Janice O'Leary talks about the importance of boredom.  We especially liked the view that doing nothing can inspire creativity. "Creativity is one of the sweet fruits of boredom," says Richard Winter, M.D., author of Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment. "If you don't give yourself time to reflect, you don't come up with inspired ideas."  Time and time again we have found that fresh ideas appear when we aren't actively pursuing them.  The best approach:  Load your brain with all the information you need to innovate and let it seep while you focus on other things...or nothing at all.  An idea always seems to come.  As Ms. O'Leary says, "By keeping the mental slate clean, you actually allow your mind to be fresher, more loose."  And that, she says, often allows you to find new solutions to old problems.  Give it a try.