A habit I started several years ago and which I highly recommend is writing in a journal on a daily basis.  I find that it helps with innovation and creativity in a couple of ways.

One, it forces you to notice things about your life at a deeper level.  Observation of the nuances of what is going on around you can lead to new ideas, new connections and breakthrough thinking.  By writing your life story down, you make different connections in your brain than you would by just thinking about them,  There is something magical about writing something down...it is the first step of moving it from the ethereal to the physical.

Two, the journal becomes the place to easily store ideas that need more time to be processed in your sub-conscious.  Notice I said THE place.  A great benefit of having a journal is that you can store your thoughts and ideas for future reflection and action.  These ideas are never lost and can be played with in the journal over a period of time before actually bringing them out into the world. 

So how do you journal?  First, make is a daily practice.  I like to journal in the early morning hours.  I am most active at that time of day.  But the key to effective journaling is to make it a daily practice.  That is how you will find the greatest value.

You can either write in a bound book (which I used to do) or use software.  A simple text editor or a word processor generally works fine.  But I use a software program called "The Journal"   which I have used for the past year and highly recommend.  I like it because it is easy to search, has a nice time stamp feature, and is password protected.  And at only $49 it won't break the bank.

Regardless of which method you use (handwriting or software), start journaling today.  You will be amazed at the impact this simple action will have on your personal and professional creativity.