On Monday, I talked with neuroscientist Wilma Koutstaal, who studies creativity. After our in-depth podcast talk about how to think creatively, we joked about how everyone just wants things boiled down to a nice easy list of things to do. So in that spirit, here are seven unexpected ways to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Do the princess wave. Stanford researchers found that moving your arm fluidly leads to more fluid, creative thinking. A bonus for musicians and princesses alike!

2. Wear oven mitts. When asked to design a new alarm clock, engineering students who wore oven mitts while interacting with clocks came up with more creative solutions, according to a 2011 study. “Oven Mitt” the discontinued Arby’s oven mitt would be proud.

3. Meditate on a penny. Thinking about alternative uses for an everyday object is a simple but effective warm-up for a creative session, because it helps your brain make unique connections.

4. Take a shower. Even when we’re doing a simple task like taking a shower, our brains are working in the background to make connections. The multi-sensory experience of a shower also promotes creativity, assuming there are no knife murderers behind the curtain.

5. LOL. When you’re in a positive mood, your mind is more flexible and open to new ideas. I’m sure America’s funniest comic, Bruce Chandling, would agree.

6. Think about next year’s yard sale. Your brain approaches a year-away yard sale differently than a yard sale happening tomorrow. Try thinking about problems in different time frames to move between big-picture thinking and detailed thinking. The most creative people can move fluidly between the two.

7. Go! One reason we procrastinate is because we think we need to plan everything inside our heads first. But actually, optimal creative thinking happens once we start reacting to sensory information outside our heads (words on paper, a strummed guitar chord, a ball of clay, etc.). Steve Jobs knew what he was doing when he sent an email with one word – “Go!”

Hope this helps boost your creativity a little bit! If you enjoyed the post, join my mailing list or say hi on twitter – @CharlieMcCarron.