[splicer]

No, I'm fairly certain I was in open mode the entire time I was implementing the system. It wasn't a single epiphany followed by many hours of implementing the ideas generated in that epiphany; it was a continuous stream of idea after idea, with little "what if" explorations. I was experiencing flow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29

I wasn't stressed, thinking about deadlines, or worrying about whether my system would work or not. I was simply playing, with no goals in mind other than improve the "beauty" of the system. It was very similar to what I experience when I'm painting or composing music.

There was another system I developed a few months back - again, exclusively on my own time. I would only work on it while in open mode. Only once I felt my "art" was complete did I present it to my manager and a few execs. They loved it! My system has now replaced the old system and is now part of a real product. Had I instead tried to develop the system at work, because my boss said I had to, I highly doubt it would have turned out as good as it did.