Inspiration can be a tricky thing. Some days I feel more inspired than others. But I’ve found there are a few ways to jump start my inspiration and motivate me.

1. Emptying my mind – This seems counter intuitive, but it definitely works. Why do you think your best ideas come in the car or shower? If I’m stuck on something I’ll sit quietly for a few minutes and focus on my breathing or watch the cars drive by outside my window. Turning on some music or the TV for a little bit helps, too. Anything to get my mind off of what I’m working on, so I can come back to it with fresh eyes.

2. Looking at other designers’ work – Obviously not to copy them, but to see what else is out there. Sometimes my mind can get stuck on one concept, and I need to take a minute to look around and see the other many techniques.

3. Looking around my environment – There are so many shapes and textures in nature that can provide inspiration. Everything around you can be intriguing if you slow down and take a look: tree leaves, rays of sun light, the grain of the wood on the deck, etc.

4. Brainstorming and word association – This is one of the fastest ways for me to come up with a good idea. There are many ways to do it; I like to write lists. I start with one key word and write down anything that comes to mind, whether it’s stupid or not. Letting my mind flow freely and putting it all down on paper helps me find creative solutions.

I think the key element between these is to not force creativity or inspiration. You have to let it come to you. Trying too hard and getting stressed out will only make matters worse and stifle creativity.

Anyone who knows me will tell you how terrible my memory is. Birthdays, chores, phone calls, etc. For some reason, they go in one ear and out the other. I blame information overload. For months I’ve been trying to find the perfect To Do list system. If I write down my tasks or things I need to remember it forces me to finish them. This blog post, for example, is an item on my to do list, and it makes me anxious to think I won’t check it off before bed.

I still haven’t found the perfect system, but reQall comes close. I’ve been using it for a week so far, and it’s already helped me to get a lot of things done. But the great thing about it is that it’s not just a to do list manager. It categorizes items into “to dos,” “notes,” and “shopping lists.” This helps me because sometimes I just want to make a note of something to remember later. ReQall doesn’t add it to my to do list, but it’s still stored with my other notes. You can also assign tasks to other people, set due dates and times, and specify a location (home, work, etc.).

My favorite thing about reQall is the “Jott-like” system that allows you to call in and leave reminders from your phone. I tend to remember things at the worst times, especially while driving. I can just call in, leave my note, and it will be waiting when I get back to my computer. As an added bonus, specific dates and events are automatically added to my Google Calendar.

Of course there is still room for improvement. I’d like to be able to add items by text, not just phone or email. My second criticism is probably nit-picky, but still bothers me. When I add an item, such as, “meet Joe Smith for coffee tomorrow at 5pm,” it leaves that exact text as the note. Systems like Google Calendar and Remember the Milk will strip out the last part “tomorrow at 5m,” and use it set up the day and time, while only leaving “meet Joe Smith” as the body of the note. Finally, a good mobile version of the web site would help a lot. I don’t have an iPhone or BlackBerry, so I can’t get the app. The site works on my phone’s browser, but it isn’t pretty or easy to use.

Overall, it’s a great system and I’ll most likely pay for the pro service when my free trial runs out. It has a lot of other features that I didn’t list here that are worth checking out. I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops, and hoping they keep adding more accessibility and functionality.