This is a bit like Raymond Chandler's process for writing:

> The important thing is that there should be a space of time, say four hours a day at least when a professional writer doesn’t do anything else but write. He doesn’t have to write, and if he doesn’t feel like it, he shouldn’t try. He can look out of the window, or stand on his head, or writhe on the floor. But he is not to do any other positive thing, not read, write letters, glance at magazines, or write checks. Write or nothing.

He commented somewhere that it works on the same principle as school - you can't force children to learn, but if you prevent them from doing anything else, the bright ones will learn just to stave off boredom.