It was so HOT in London last Wednesday…

I had to wait until early evening to take the dog out.

Even then, we stuck to the shaded parts of the street to avoid the sun’s fierce rays!

But I was pleased to get out of the house because I’d been working all day on a piece of sales copy.

And I’d been tearing my hair out over an opening line…

To get my mind off things, I tried to enjoy the scenery, observing how the low sun made sharp shadows on the paving slabs and brick walls.

I recalled being a kid, playing outside on summer evenings, having similar sensations… marvelling at the way my body made surreally long shadows on the street.

This led to thoughts of how much had changed in my world since those days…

And what might be different in my future.

Suddenly – out of absolutely nowhere – a line popped into my head.

“What if today was the last day of your OLD life?”

Aha! That was it!

That was the perfect line for my project!

Strange how that sort of thing happens when you least expect it.

An idea pops up when you’re in the shower… on a drive… staring out a window…. or walking the dog.

Of course, we all know it as…

‘THE EUREKA EFFECT’

The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes famously cracked the problem of how to measure volume while lowering himself into a bath.

He leapt up and shouted “Eureka!”

It meant “I have found it.”

But it could have easily been ‘Aha!”

According to an article in the latest New Scientist, it turns out these “Aha!” moments are really important for creativity, problem solving and developing new skills.

They shape what we learn… what we remember… and even play a role in long-term brain health.

For example, in 2018, researcher Martin Tik at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria put people into a brain scanner and made them solve mental problems.

(I’m sure these people volunteered, by the way, I don’t think he just shoved them in without their consent!)

When his test subjects experienced a sudden insight (the “aha!” moment) their brain scans showed changes in activity in the midbrain structures involved in releasing dopamine (AKA the ‘feel-good hormone’.)

In other words, when you have a flash of inspiration, your brain’s reward system flags that idea as important. This helps lock it into your mind, so that you can recall it later.

According to New Scientist, these kinds of ideas are not only more pleasurable and memorable… they’re also GOOD.

The research suggests that the process of turning a problem over in your mind… even unconsciously… leads to better solutions than sitting down and trying to force an answer.

However, it seems that many people are increasingly missing out on ‘Aha moments’…

Because AI is killing them off!

THE AI THREAT TO GOOD IDEAS

As you know, I love AI and I use it daily.

But I also caution against giving everything up to AI and losing what makes you human.

For instance, a piece of written copy made purely by AI from a short prompt is not nearly as good as a piece of copy where you’ve fed in your own ideas, thoughts, personality and research.

Same goes for ideas and product creation.

If you hand it all over to AI, then you will never get those pleasurable and motivating ‘Aha’ moments.

You’ll never improve your power of critical thinking…

And you’ll potentially miss out on business breakthroughs, like a new product idea, a great sales headline or an interesting marketing angle.

That said, none of this means cancelling your ChatGPT or Claude subscription… or never using AI again.

The answer is to make yourself part of the thinking process.

This way, you get the best of both worlds!

Here’s how you can do that…

THINK FIRST, PROMPT SECOND

Before you type a question into an AI tool, spend at least ten minutes wrestling with the problem yourself.

Scribble down some notes…

Have a solo brainstorm by jotting random ideas onto a whiteboard or sheet of A4 paper.

(Even better, brainstorm with a friend or trusted colleague!)

If you DO get an ‘aha’ moment, then flag that up as a priority idea.

But don’t worry if you don’t!

When you’ve done your own thinking, then it’s time to bring AI into the process.

Feed in all your ideas (even those you consider ‘bad’) and tell AI to use them as inspiration.

Same goes for a piece of content….

Before you get AI to write it, have a go at putting down your ideas first (however rough and poorly written) so that you become the first step in the process.

And it shouldn’t stop there…

NOW GO FOR A WALK

Now that you’ve worked with AI to come up with ideas…

Go for a short walk to let your mind mull over the challenge (and record any thoughts on your smartphone or a notepad).

Don’t listen to music or a podcast… just allow your mind to wander.

Your brain will enter what neuroscientists call the ‘DEFAULT MODE NETWORK’. It’s a state of unfocused thinking where your mind makes connections it can’t usually make when you’re concentrating.

Perhaps think about a sales angle, product idea, or newsletter topic before you head out of the door to load it into your mind…

But then take your mind off it for a while, relax and have fun.

Your subconscious will do the work for you!

If you don’t want to go on a walk, here’s something else to try…

THE INCUBATION TECHNIQUE

Work intensely on a problem or challenge for 20–30 minutes..

Then deliberately stop and do something completely unrelated.

Make some tea, potter in the garden, do the washing up, listen to a piece of music.

Whatever floats your boat!

This becomes an incubation process where you give your subconscious mind time to process what you are working on.

When you come back to your desk, don’t immediately re-read everything you did before your break.

Instead, start writing down whatever your mind throws up and you might be surprised by what you see.

Again, it’s okay if nothing inspirational occurs – so don’t let it make you feel dispirited or de-motivated.

Just go back to the problem again and you might find that the short break re-energised your powers of thinking anyway.

GROW YOUR OWN IDEA GARDEN

Not every eureka moment is obviously useful.

Not immediately, anyway.

Sometimes you’ll have an idea for a product you’re not ready to make… a headline for an advert you haven’t written yet… or a marketing strategy that doesn’t quite fit your current situation.

Don’t throw those away….

Instead, store your unused ideas in an online document and save it somewhere in your files, marked ‘Idea Garden’.

Keep adding to it over time…

And if you’re ever struck for inspiration. come bssack to it and see if any of the ideas have become relevant.

You can then feed them into AI and see if it can help you develop your ‘Aha’ moment into something practical.

As I say, it’s not that AI is bad for creative thinking.

It’s just that you should consider it a business partner, not an all-knowing guru.

So make sure you include your own ideas and inspiration in the process!

Just one ‘aha’ moment might be what makes the difference.