"Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific inventors in history—a true creative genius. Edison noticed that his mind was most creative in the moments just before drifting off to sleep. However, it is not feasible to write down ideas while one is sleeping. Edison solved the problem and took advantage of this fertile period in a most remarkable fashion. Before settling into his chair for a nap, he positioned metal pans on the floor on either side of the chair and held ball bearings in his fists. As he hovered in the zone between consciousness and sleep, his muscles relaxed and the ball bearings dropped into the pans. The resulting noise roused him from his slumber, enabling him to capture his thoughts—which sometimes contained brilliant ideas!"
From the 10 Commandments of Creativity
