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Salvador Dalí would hold a key over a metal plate, drift toward sleep, and when the key dropped he'd capture the idea that emerged.

Sounds eccentric, right? That's because it was. But MIT confirmed he was onto something profound: just 15 seconds in that drowsy, in-between state makes you 3x more likely to solve creative problems.

In today’s issue:

• Why your brain solves problems better when you're not trying

• The loading phase most people skip (and why it's non-negotiable)

• Four practical methods to unlock ideas: the walk, the napkin, the brain dump, and the sprint

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Most Christian creators are stuck in a loop—staring at the blank page, forcing solutions that won't come, praying for breakthrough while white-knuckling the steering wheel.

The magic isn't in trying harder. It's in loading the problem, then stepping away long enough for your subconscious to do what your overthinking brain can't.

Your brain solves problems better when you're not trying.

Here's what happens when you force a solution: your prefrontal cortex (the "logic center") narrows your focus down to what you already know, cycling through the same tired ideas like a broken record.

But when you drift into that hypnagogic state—the liminal space between awake and asleep—your brain loosens its grip.

Connections form that logic would never allow. Patterns emerge that reason would dismiss. Solutions appear that effort would've missed entirely.

This is why your best ideas hit you in the shower, on a walk, or right before you fall asleep. Your brain wasn't resting in those moments—it was working at a level your conscious mind can't access.

The trick? You have to give it permission to let go.

You can't solve a problem you haven't defined first.

Here's where most advice about "taking a break" falls apart—you can't solve a problem you haven't named.

Dalí didn't just take random naps hoping for inspiration. He sat with the problem, turned it over in his mind, named the exact thing he was trying to solve, and then let go.

That's the loading phase, and it's non-negotiable.

Think of your subconscious like a search engine running in the background. If you don't enter the query, it has nothing to search for. But once you load the problem—write it down, speak it out loud, wrestle with it for a few minutes—your brain keeps working on it even after you walk away.

Here's the workflow:

Define the problem in one sentence. Not "I need to figure out my business" but "Should I price this at $500 or $1,000?" Specificity matters.

Write it down. Pen and paper, notes app, napkin—doesn't matter. The act of externalizing the question tells your brain: "This is what we're solving."

Step away for 15-20 minutes. Go for a walk. Sit quietly. Let yourself drift. Don't scroll, don't consume content, don't fill the silence. Just be.

Capture what emerges. Keep a notepad, voice memo, or doc open. When the idea surfaces (and it will), grab it before it slips back under.

It's neuroscience dressed up in surrealist paint.

Christian creators grip too tight, and it's blocking the breakthrough.

Here's what I see constantly: Christian entrepreneurs and creators treat every decision like it requires a burning bush moment, so they either over-spiritualize (waiting for a sign instead of acting) or over-optimize (forcing solutions because "faith without works is dead").

Both miss the point.

God gave you a brain that's wired to solve problems creatively, and part of stewarding that gift well is learning when to engage it and when to let it rest.

Resting isn't laziness. The Sabbath wasn't just a command; it was a design feature.

When you're stuck on pricing, messaging, hiring, or your next big move, you don't need to pray harder or think harder. You need to load the problem, then trust the process enough to step away.

Most of us are too anxious to let go. We grip the steering wheel so tight our knuckles turn white, convinced that if we stop thinking about it for even a second, we'll lose control.

But that white-knuckle grip is exactly what's blocking the breakthrough.

The truth? You're not in control anyway. The best ideas don't come from you—they come through you. Your job is to create the conditions where they can land.

The 20-minute walk that unlocks your best ideas.

Edison did this with steel balls in his hands. Dalí did it with keys. You can do it with your phone and a pair of shoes.

Load the problem before you leave the house. Write it down in one sentence: "How do I price this offer?" or "What should my email sequence cover?"

Then walk. No music, no podcast, no anything. Just you, the problem, and movement.

Walking engages your body just enough to quiet the overthinking brain, but not so much that it demands your full attention. That's the sweet spot.

When the idea hits—and it will—open your voice memo app and capture it mid-stride. Don't wait until you get home. The idea is slippery; grab it now.

The napkin trigger that forces clarity in 15 minutes.

Write your problem on a napkin, index card, or sticky note. One sentence, clear as glass.

Set a timer for 15 minutes, close your eyes, and let yourself drift—not all the way to sleep, just to the edge.

When the timer goes off, write the first idea that surfaces. No editing, no judging. Just capture.

The physical act of writing the problem loads it deeply, and the timer gives you permission to let go without anxiety about "wasting time."

This works because your brain craves closure. Once you've named the problem, it won't stop working on it—even when you're not consciously aware.

The pre-bed brain dump that works while you sleep.

Right before bed, write down your toughest problem in a journal or notes app. Don't try to solve it, just name it clearly.

Then sleep.

In the morning, before you check your phone, open the same doc and write whatever comes to mind.

Your brain processes and consolidates information during sleep. If you load the problem right before bed, your subconscious works on it all night while you're unconscious.

Morning clarity is real. Use it.

The constraint sprint that bypasses perfectionism.

Set a constraint: "I have 5 minutes to brainstorm solutions to this pricing problem."

Write every idea that comes to mind, no matter how wild. When the timer stops, walk away for 20 minutes.

Come back and review—the best idea will be obvious.

Constraint is gasoline on creativity. The tight time frame forces your brain to bypass perfectionism and just generate. Then the walk gives your subconscious time to sort the gold from the noise.

This method works because it separates generation from evaluation—two processes that should never happen at the same time.

The best ideas don't come from you—they come through you.

Here's what all of this is really about: learning to trust the way God designed your brain to work.

You don't have to force every solution. You don't have to white-knuckle your way through every decision. You don't have to pray harder or hustle harder when you're stuck.

You just have to load the problem, then step away long enough to let the answer land.

Dalí had a key. Edison had steel balls. You have a phone, a notepad, and a pair of shoes.

Use them.

BEST FINDS

Here are Payton’s Picks for the week. If you find something worth sharing with the rest of the Lab, reply to this email!

🧙‍♂️ Story

• The 4 tenets of story structure every writer should know about (World Builders).

• How did the world get so ugly (YouTube).

📧 Email

• Leila Hormozi just quietly repositioned her newsletter. And it’s honestly genius (AI Email Marketing)

• Are your emails accessible? (YouTube).

💬 Marketing

• This $1B startup was just 2 guys pretending to be AI (Marketing Ideas).

• What’s next for lifecycle marketing in 2026? (Customer.io).

👀 ICYMI

• A designer, known only as Dave, turned his iMessage conversation with Tom into an ad for four upcoming gigs there (LinkedIn).

• Nike has 300M social followers and still launched a Substack. Let that sink in (LinkedIn).

Before you go, here are 2 ways I can help:

🧪 The Lab Notes: My live swipe file to end idea bankruptcy. It’s packed with 300+ content ideas, 150+ viral hooks, 130+ lead magnet ideas, real marketing examples, and much much more!

👻 VeryGoodGhost Agency: We give Christian executives turnkey content (social, inbox, and beyond) that delivers scary good results without adding to their calendars.

Keep writing what matters,

— Payton