This is the idea that the best sort of inspiration comes when you're not trying to focus all of your attention on whatever you're trying to do. How many times have you been stuck writing an essay, tried your best to come up with a good topic, and nothing comes?
6 hours and 45 minutes later, after you've written a mediocre paper, you're outside washing your car, and a great idea hits you so hard you go tumbling into a nasty bucket of dirty suds.
You rush into your apartment, dripping all over your white carpet and soaking the cat in the process, and plop down in from of your computer. You drum out the most beautiful, composed, perfect essay you've ever written in about 30 minutes. With a glowing smile of triumph you realize your teacher is going to love this.
After a brief victory dance on the coffee table, in your translucent white shirt, you go off in search of carpet cleaner, thanking the powers of divine inspiration, free-flow thought, Zen, and SpotPro Carpet Cleaner.