Prior experience creates a kind of tunnel vision that tends to inhibit our creativity. And problem-solving exercises with children and adults show that this rigidity gets worse with age.
To really leverage your pause, you need to take a tech-break and see where your mind leads you. You need to protect your boredom!
Periodically stepping back from the action is not just a way to boost our creativity efforts. More generally, I’d say it is an indispensable aspect of work in general. It’s like time-outs in sport. Mentally, it helps us reset. It gives us a chance to reflect on what we’re doing and to reconsider what is urgent versus important.