7 Idle Pleasures You Can Enjoy For Easy, Fun Idea Incubation

Our intention, with this essay, is to go into three ideas:

• Idea incubation.
• Idea incubation methods.
• Idle pleasures.

Really, though, our primary concern is the first two.

Right before we dive in, though, there is one thing that must be noted: an idle pleasure is just that, a pleasure you can enjoy while being idle and, relatively, aimless.

You might consider it a meditative experience rooted within the moment.

Every single one of the idle pleasures within this essay exists as that.

Given the context of this essay, though, it also exists as something else: an act that facilitates a process.

A process of idea generation.

My hope is that this dissonance isn’t too significant. And, furthermore, my hope is that you enjoy this essay!

The Power Of Idea Incubation

Right before we can clarify the power of idea incubation, we must first define what, exactly, incubation is.

And, with the above in mind, incubation is “to keep something safe and warm so that it can grow.”

On its own, this definition does not pertain to the creation/discovery of ideas.

Or, at least, that may appear to be the case. But, in reality, incubation and ideas go hand in hand.

You see, in order for new ideas to present themselves within our mind, they must be able to grow.

Sometimes, we can move forward and, in doing so, direct this process of growth.

Other times, though, we cannot do this or find that doing so fails to create the results we seek.

Just as an example, if you would like a new idea for your business, you can come up with lots of ideas by making a list or conducting some sort of creativity exercise.

Or, if the above just isn’t working, you can conduct a practice and, then, “forget about it,” allowing the right idea to grow within your mind and, then, to present itself when it’s ready.

Soon after the desired idea presents itself, you can engage with it in the manner of your choosing.

3 Easy, Fun Idea Incubation Methods

Right before you can begin incubating your ideas through the seven idle pleasures outlined below, you can, and likely should, conduct an idea incubation method.

Out of all the idea incubation methods that exist, the following three are my absolute favorites:

• Clarify the ideas you desire and, then, take a deep breath and say “Thank you” for these ideas.
• Clarify the ideas you desire and, then, absorb as much information about them as you can.
• Clarify the ideas you desire and imagine that you have /recorded these ideas and feel good about them.

Outside of the above idea incubation methods, you can also clarify the type of idea you desire, the end result of the ideas you desire, or the feelings/emotions you wish to experience from these ideas.

Every single one of these methods serves as an effective process you can rely upon to incubate the ideas you desire.

Right after you conduct these methods, though, there is something else you must do: you must let go.

You must let go and allow the ideas you desire to incubate.

No, this isn’t always very easy. But, if you can enjoy one of the idle pleasures outlined below, you will be able to incubate the ideas you wish to obtain with, if my experience is anything to go by, remarkable ease.

7 Idle Pleasures For Easy Idea Incubation

Idle Pleasure 01: Go On A Walk

Conduct one of the methods outlined in the previous section and, then, go on a walk.

Just go on a nice, pleasant walk in a nice, pleasant neighborhood.

You can walk in a leisurely manner, observing what you see and enjoying each moment.

Or, perhaps, you can walk at an intense pace, towards a destination that may, or may not, be known.

No matter what you choose, if you go on a walk, then you can, with remarkable ease, incubate new ideas.

Idle Pleasure 02: Sit By A Stream

Many people do not live by a stream.

And, as such, sitting by a stream is easier said than done.

If this is you, then don’t worry.

You can sit by any source of water. Or, even, sit by a video of a stream.

Sitting by a stream, and enjoying the flow of water, allows ideas to flow and grow.

The outcome of this flow and growth is a wealth of new ideas.

Or, at least, that has been the case, in my experience.

Idle Pleasure 03: Doodle

You can doodle with purpose.

Or, you can doodle aimlessly, allowing the moment to move you.

Regardless of what you choose, doodling serves as a lovely manner of incubating ideas.

Just doodle and doodle and, as you do, ideas grow and flow, until they arise.

Idle Pleasure 04: Enjoy A Nice Meal.

If you’re anything like me, then you eat food very quickly, with little emphasis on the pleasure of the experience.

You can dispense with that, if only for one meal.

And, if you do so, after conducting one of the incubation methods outlined earlier, you will receive ideas.

Some of them may arise while eating. Others will arise right after.

Don’t get me wrong, this is just my experience.

But, something about eating and digesting seems to facilitate the idea generation process.

Idle Pleasure 05: Listening To The World

Our world exists as an infinite soundscape.

A neverending sea of sound, one might say.

You can step into this infinite soundscape within any moment.

And, if you do so then, in my experience, the sheer abundance of aural information flowing into you serves to activate and direct a wealth of inner idea generation processes.

Each one of these processes comes together to generate the ideas you wish to receive.

Idle Pleasure 06: Getting Lost In An Observation

Just like the idle pleasure outlined right above, our world is infinitely rich with perceptions.

Many of these perceptions are available to us. But, we often fail to embrace them.

If you give yourself a few moments to observe something — anything — you allow new information to flow into you.

And, in allowing this new information to flow into you, new ideas will arise with remarkable ease.

Idle Pleasure 07: Lie Down

Sometimes, the best thing you can do, in order to come up with the ideas you seek, is to lie down.

Seriously, this actually works for me more often than not.

Just remember what you are searching for and, then, lie down.

You can lie down and read or watch something. But, in the end, it’s often wise to just lie down with your thoughts.

If you allow yourself to relax, while lying down, you will meet new ideas.

No, this may not happen immediately. But, it will happen.

Conclusion

You can use idea incubation and idle pleasures to conjure the ideas you need.

My hope is that reading this essay helps you accomplish those tasks.

No matter what, though, thank you so much for reading this essay!

And, as always, if you wish to reach me, you can do so at “maxwellcakin@gmail.com.”