    Most of us will have days or weeks when we can't make as much stuff as we'd like. Things get busy, we have jobs, families and lives which means occasionally you'll be out of time to sit down and make art. There are some simple tips you can try to maximize the thinking and considering time that can help fuel your creative work.
1.（）
    This is a classic subconscious-employing trick, used a lot for when you really need to study and remember material. If you want to think more about your artwork, read about it just before you fall asleep. Studies show that your brain remembers more and thinks subconsciously about the information you process just before going into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. If you're reading a book on creativity you really want to digest, this is a great strategy to help stimulate your own creative process.
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    Take notes. Lots of notes. No matter what time of day (or night). Keep a notepad and pen beside your bed, and always carry one in your handbag or pocket. Some strategies you could try are making lists of future or potential artwork. Taking notes can be valuable in their offhanded, indiscriminate format—sometimes they're not important or playful, and sometimes they can be tiny seeds of gold.
3.（）
    Get rid of the guilt around talking about yourself too much. It can really help to regularly make the effort to speak about what you've been working on. There's a learning curve that comes out of forcing yourself to name things. Set up catch-ups or phone calls with other artists to check in with each other regarding your work. Hopefully these conversations can happen with family and friends or co-workers, and can be used as an artistic compass to check you are on course, on the whole, with making work.
4.（）
    Use the time you're driving, on the train, or commuting to and from work to your advantage. Read, listen, think, make lists, or mentally check off your progress. I know artists who use commute time to meditate and reflect on themselves, which is another interesting strategy to try. Using commute time means that when you do sit down to create work, you've often done the heavy thinking and are ready to dive into the practical, hands-on work.
5.（）
    When you're not making artwork, make time to simply think. It seems like many artworks are made after months (or even years) of living inside your own head. Whether you're at work, walking pets, or doing the dishes, using this time to think hard about your artwork can pay off greatly. You can often surprise yourself with how much progress you can make if you clock the thinking hours. Realizing that this was a thing that was one of the most helpful and insightful lessons I learned as an artist. Thinking time is time well spent.