About this quote

Play and odd ideas snap your attention back into gear. Want a quick test? Spend five minutes a day doodling nonsense or telling a short, silly story out loud and notice how your mind links things differently. That small practice will change how you see problems at work, at home, and while studying. Don't wait for some big idea; build tiny, weird habits that force your brain to look sideways.

When to use it

• During a product brainstorming meeting at work when everyone’s recycling the same ideas, I say, "I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells," and then we throw out the silliest prompts first.
• Putting the kids to bed, I tell them, "Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living," and we invent a bedtime story where the furniture has secret lives.
• While cramming for a hard exam at night, I take five minutes to write absurd sentences and then return to the notes refreshed and able to recall details better.
• At soccer practice when drills feel robotic, I hum a goofy rhyme and tell the team, "A little nonsense wakes up the brain cells," to shake out the routine and spark creativity.