Looking for ways to free your creativity and generate new ideas? Try breaking out of your daily routine and doing things differently.

Do you always work in the same place? Try a new location. Pack up your laptop and head to the coffee shop, the park or the local library. Or just take a pad and pen with you to jot ideas, sketch, or mind map.

Don't have time to read? Make time! Pick up a book and dig in. It can be a business book, or it can be the bestseller you have been meaning to read, a biography, or anything that interests you. If you are in the habit of reading, pick up a different kind of book.

Take up a new hobby or take a class. Learn ballroom dancing, quilting, or a new language. You will have fun and meet new people while acquiring a skill. Not only that, there are health benefits. Studies suggest that exercising your brain can help to protect you from the effects of Alzheimer's and other conditions.

Work a different schedule. Do you keep 'normal' hours? Try working noon until 8 p.m. for a day or a week. Do you find that your energy is highest at certain times of the day? Adjust your work schedule to include those hours.

Take a new route to get places. Look for interesting places to explore.

Talk to people. Better yet, listen to people. Ask questions and really listen to the answers. People love to talk about themselves, so they will love you! And you will learn things you didn't know.

Explore the arts. Attend a play, go to the movies, listen to the symphony, tour the museum or go to a favorite gallery.

Take your time. Don't rush from one thing to another. Savor experiences and absorb them.

As you open your mind and participate in new experiences, you will find yourself coming up with new ideas. Take it from the Idea Lady!