this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2026
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Sitting on the porch in the middle of the night in October/November. With a blanket. Or any other cooler month.
People don't realize. That yes. You can bring a blanket outside. To your porch.
And no one is around at 3 am and it's so silent and eerie. And perfect. Even in the city, there is way less people. But outside the city it's dead silent. Like everyone disappeared.
It feels... Different than the rest of the time.
3-4 am is the most interesting hour of the day.
Try it next time you wake up with a full bladder in the middle of the night. Or have insomnia. Don't go back to bed. Instead Grab your blanket. Step outside.
I find that my best writing happens within those hours. It is, after all, the witching hour.
There is actually some science to this phenomenon of creativity.
It's called "aha!". That's the actual technical term in psychology research. With the explanation point. Aka "eureka moments."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect
So basically what happens is you are at your most creative when your brain goes into the "default mode network". Which can (simplified) be described as loose, undirected thought.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network
For instance while showering. Taking the dog for a walk. Sitting in traffic. It can be any time when your mind wanders aimlessly.
The reason this increases creativity and unique problem solving is because when we intentionally direct our thinking, we box ourselves in with related concepts already associated with the idea we are working on.
To truly think unconventionally with more unique creativity, one has to stop thinking of the issue intentionally yet still have the goal of that problem in the unconscious.
It's a difficult state to get to intentionally unless you know how your own mind works and can put yourself into an unfocused mindset intentionally.
Explaining a problem to another person can sometimes re conceptualize a problem and help solve it.
But being in a "mentally unconstrained" state is also very helpful.
I can say I often have some of my best ideas for projects or solutions to things I've been working on , as I'm falling asleep. To the point I have to get up and write things down all the time.
High quality ideas.
Another pattern is people can also have a lot of creative ideas when procrastinating from a task they don't want to do.
The task at hand looms and the mind distracts itself by mind wandering. Increasing aha! moments.
I'll think of that, thanks for the suggestion! in december 24 after Chido hit we had no AC or ventilation so I slept on the roof for a week or so. It was full moon, and I've never slept so well before or since
Maybe you should just sleep on the roof?
it's impractical for a number of other reasons, but yes, it's a good idea. When I build my house I'll make sure there is a dedicated space