Creativity is often thought of as a new idea. But creativity is discovering new connections between old things—taking what exists and combining those pieces in a way that hasn’t been done before.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, writes about habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He outlines the steps that can help improve the creative process.

1. Gather material. This is the learning stage, where you gather a range of material and concepts related to your task.
2. Mull it over. During this stage, you examine what you have learned, look at the facts from different angles, and try to fit various ideas together.
3. Step away. Put the problem out of your mind and do something else that excites or energizes you.
4. Let it come back. At some point, after you have stopped thinking about it, you’ll have a flash of insight that leads to a solution.
5. Put it out there. For any idea to succeed, you must test it in the real world. Receive any criticism as a welcome chance to improve your idea.

Clear illustrates this process by sharing the story of Frederic Eugene Ives. Read about it in Clear’s article, "For a More Creative Brain Follow These 5 Steps."