Most of us can’t simply switch on our creative brain at the drop of a hat. If you’re rushing to an appointment you’re late for, and it’s pouring with rain but you forgot to bring a coat, and you can’t stop worrying because the budgie’s not eating properly, this is not the moment you’re going to get your best thinking done.

We need to coax and cajole our brains a bit to encourage them to be creative. It’s not our normal state of mind – we spend most of our time doing something, not simply thinking. Just consider how often you’re focused on a practical task: talking, cooking, messaging, showering, watching TV, digging something out of your wallet, choosing veg in the supermarket. We don’t spend a great deal of time just letting our minds drift freely. Sometimes you can think creatively while you’re doing something else, but if it’s not deliberate your mind is likely to focus back on the everyday. You could daydream in the shower, for example, but it’s very easy to find you’ve actually started wondering if you need to buy more shower gel because it’s nearly run out.

So help your brain get in the mood to think creatively. Wine and dine it a bit. This isn’t something you have to fit round everything else – it’s worth setting aside time for it specially. So start by making sure you can relax. It’s not easy to think freely when you’re expecting a visitor at any moment, or your next meeting starts in five minutes, or you’re bursting for a pee.

You need to know where and how you think best, and create the atmosphere you want. If you don’t already know this, experiment to find out what works for you. Some of us think best on a walk, others in a darkened room, or in the shower, or at the gym, or listening to a particular kind of music.

I would add that some of us do our best thinking alongside other people, and that’s fine too. There’s more on this in the section on ‘Thinking together’ (see page 134). There will be times it’s not feasible though, or no one else is interested, so to be a true Rules thinker you’ll want to learn to be creative on your own too. If this is you, talking aloud even when you think alone can sometimes help.

The better you get at creative thinking, the more naturally your brain will cooperate without always having its ideal surroundings. The best creative minds can come up with genius ideas at any time of day or night, even when they’re stressed or busy or feeling hungry. That’s because creativity is a habit your brain can learn if you practise it enough, as we’ve established. However, as with everything, you need to start with the basics before you remove the stabilisers.