How to be creative

Maria Konnikova says here:

"[We] know that much of what we associate with creativity—whether writing a sonnet or a mathematical proof—has to do with the ability to link ideas, entities, and concepts in novel ways. This ability depends in part on the very thing that caffeine seeks to prevent: a wandering, unfocused mind."

The above is an excerpt from an essay in the New Yorker, 'How Caffeine can Cramp Creativity'. The essay was also covered by Andrew Sullivan here. While on this creative path I also came across an academic paper on a theory behind the creative process which you can read here.