It is also useful for performance tuning in that you can allocate more servers for the most overloaded services. And because which service is most overloaded can vary by customer, it is a way of guaranteeing that your customers don't run out of processing power. My expertise is in developing user interfaces, information servers, and integrating databases with the Internet. Perspiration is best done in front of a computer screen, but that's probably not the best place to get inspired. I think reading technical books in all areas, not just computer programming, plants good seeds for different ways to see problems.
Many great ideas are applications of very different skills on the same problem.
And most important is to understand the process of inspiration. Programming problems are like a zen koan. The first step is to immerse yourself in it completely. Then give it a rest, say for a weekend. You may think you have forgotten about it, but your mind is still working on it.