[xtho]

It's not a habit but when I think 30 years back I'd actually say that what killed most of my creativity are computers and the Internet. They simply offer too many distractions and cannot replace the intimacy of working with pencil and unlined paper. But maybe it's just the way I use it -- e.g. that I answer questions like yours and follow sites like hn etc. They offer pleasant/stimulating distractions but on the whole ... Maybe it's a good idea to display your question as screen saver.

Nice quote although my habits were much better when I was 30 than they are now.

[dpcan]

Creativity is expressed in many forms, and if it were not for computers, my creative talents would never have been realized. I develop video games from the ground up, and these games wouldn't have come to life if not for computers.

To answer the poster's question however, I'd have to say my creativity is stunted by the myriad of distractions in my life. Within eye-shot right now I see 5 screens. 3 of them are turned on. If I were in my office, double it.

Sure I can control these distractions, but I choose not to because I think I'm addicted to constant info and visual overload, white noise, and a desperate need to be entertained every second of my life. Just being honest.

[cturner]

Regarding pencil and paper, I sense there to be a huge gap in notations used for representing ideas on paper/whiteboard.

Relational schema diagram notation is useful. You pick up some along the way, like "mind maps". UML is very heavy, and I don't know anyone who uses that for flow. So for most things, each person invents their own method of capturing ideas.

I've got a couple of tricks that do work for me. But the notations I use are unsophisticated compared to what could be done if this issue - smart ways to develop ideas - was a meme that lots of people were working on.