For the past week or so I have been taking James Altucher's approach to thinking and ideas. He suggests that we think up ten ideas every single day. These ten idea can be about anything at all ( business ideas, post to write, suggestions to companies, ect...) A better run down of this method can be found by searching for James Altucher ten ideas a day. After a while the mind begins thinking more and from angles you never even knew were there.
For me, as I started to write more and cut out shows, I found thinking came relatively easily. Quality of thought is another matter :D