A bit of a break from marketing tips this week – and instead something about how to have more good ideas.

It's a simple tip really. It's to increase the amount of time you have in silence.

What I mean by that is that next time you're driving somewhere, don't switch on the car radio. Next time you go for a walk or run, don't plug in to your favourite music or podcast.

Instead, give your brain a dose of silence.

Even better, set your brain a task to work on in that silence. Something like “I'm going to come up with 10 ideas for new blog posts” or “I'm going to outline my next webinar”.

I started listening to podcasts when I went out on walks a while back. I thought it would help me be more productive by learning while I was doing other things.

But the truth is that few of need more inputs. We need to do more thinking.

We've found so many ways to avoid the hard work of thinking these days.

It's too easy to flip our screens to email or Facebook instead of powering through a few moments of writer's block. 

It's too easy to listen to a talk show or blast music into our ears on a long drive to avoid having to listen to our own thoughts.

But in our sorts of business, those thoughts are our lifeblood. They're where the solutions to problems come from. Where ideas for content come from. Where new products come from.

I've gone back to walking in silence and now driving in silence too.

The temptation to flip on the radio is irresistible sometimes. But when I do persevere I always come out with something useful for my business.

Try it :)