Michael Kesterton quoting Miller-McCune.com in the Globe and Mail this week says,   "Want to boost your creativity?  Tomorrow morning, pour some milk in an empty bowl, and then add the cereal."

"That may sound, well, flaky.  But according to a newly published study, preparing a common meal in reverse order may stimulate innovative thinking.  Avoiding conventional behaviour at the breakfast table 'can help people break their cognitive patterns, and thus lead them to think more flexibly and creatively."

All of this is according to research out of Radboud University Nijimegen in the Netherlands.  A research team led by psychologist Simone Ritter argue that "active involvement in an unusual event can trigger higher levels of creativity."

And apparently, according to their findings, this activity can take many forms, including studying abroad for a semester to coping with the unexpected loss of a loved one.

Again, as I argued in last week's blog, creativity doesn't necessarily come in that one single lightning strike.  It evoles, over time.  

Tomorrow morning, try starting your day off creatively.  Add the cereal last.

According to psychologist R. Keith Sawyer of Washington University, these are the places that creativity researchers refer to as as the places where different ideas or creative solutions have famously and suddenly emerged.