I seem to do best when I give an idea time to fester in my mind a bit. I generally come up with some kind of setting or theme or what-have-you for a story that I want to write about and then I give it a few days to let me subconcious play with it for awhile. Usually, I end up having a break through that seems really obvious and I can't believe that it took me so long to put things together that seem like they were made to go that way all along. Also, when I'm listening to podcasts (usually while reading meters) about something that interests me, the whole 'what if' senerios start taking off from a related subject and I find myself losing focus on what I was listening to as my mind goes off in this new direction of its own. I like it when it happens though, I can always relisten to the podcatsts, the ideas are worth the inconvence.
