Inspiration can strike at odd times – when you are driving the kids to school, standing in line at the grocery store, or even while you are taking your morning shower. All of a sudden, an idea comes to you and you know you better write it down because you don’t want to forget it.

Desperation, however, usually creeps up on you after you have been sitting in front of the computer, racking your brain for hours, trying to come up with at least one, little measly idea. However, there are techniques you can use to find your inspiration and avoid desperation.

To increase your chances of finding inspiration, figure out what works for you. You may have heard the old expression “putting on your thinking cap”. While there are more than likely plenty of people out there who actually have hats they put on to help them think, it is more a figure of speech.

What is your thinking cap? Does the noise of people and chatter help to stimulate your creativity or do you need to be alone to think? Do you do your best work in the morning when you feel refreshed and recharged or do your creative juices start running after midnight? Do you like sitting near a window where you can see what’s going on outside or do you find that distracting?

If you have been trying to find inspiration and are at a loss, try stepping away from your project and focusing your attention on something else. When you go back to your work, you will be looking at it with fresh eyes and may think of something you wouldn’t have thought of before.

You can also avoid desperation by asking for support. Ask a friend, mentor, or your spouse to take a look at what you have been working on and see if they can offer any suggestions. Once you start talking to someone else about your project, more ideas will start to flow.

Working with a different medium or in a different environment may also help trigger some ideas. For instance, if you happen to be stuck on a writing project and you normally use a computer, break out the pen and paper and start writing that way. If you normally sit at your desk, try working at the kitchen table or print out the work you have completed so far and head to the couch. Simply looking at your work printed out on paper may give you some different ideas.

If you are still stuck on a project and have tried everything and it just doesn’t seem to be coming together, it may be wise to set it aside and move on to something else. It is better to take on a fresh, new project that you can be successful with than keep working on a project you find frustrating.