James Hong: I think better when I'm not really thinking about it

Thanks for the recommendation!! I wish more people could explore within rather than look outside for answers.

I've never tried meditation, but I do notice myself sometimes just staring out the window for a few minutes (especially when those good looking women egress from cnet.com - oops digressed). In those moments, I'm not really seeing anything (exception noted above) but my mind is just cranking on something. After a few of these sessions (the quantity varies on how complex the problem is I'm currently working on) I get the Aha! moment.

So I guess the skill is to be able to reduce conscious focus to free up access to your subconscious at opportune times. In my college days, I used to do this at inopportune moments, such as driving home. On several occasions, I would drive right by my apartment and basically start getting lost before realizing I had been in "subconscious" mode and had no idea where I was going.

An excellent way to access your subconscious is hard-core exercise. I've had the experience when swimming many laps, biking up a mountain, or cross-country skiing where I hit "the zone", the moment when your body is taking you with very little mental effort. That is when the subconscious flys and you can really solve some of the hardest problems.

I think sleep-deprivation is also a way to reduce conscious focus. I've hatched many integrations when running on too little sleep. There is the "sleeper's high" period which is especially good for subconscious work. Beware, however, of the big low you can get afterward. Push it too far, and you can get downright depressed. My record to date is 72 hours of focused work with very few breaks. I would have made it even longer if I hadn't bent over to tie my shoes after a shower - I woke up several hours later. (The good old college days.) The key to surviving the sleep deprivation lows is to work on really exciting and inspirational problems.