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The list is key for me. I simply have to have one place I can go to that encapsulates all of my responsibilities. In part, this is a place for me to put tasks so I don't forget them, but it's also a place for me to record and track my own ideas, be they creative or to optimize. The other advantage to a list is that you can quickly gain oversight into your responsibilities. This allows you to prioritize, so you're spending max amount of time on the items that need that time. I like to think of a list (in order of priorities) as a queue. There is nothing more satisfying than checking something off the list!

Ingredient #2 is relevance. I think this is probably what you were hinting at in your question. But this is the real way to keep the wheels turning. What I mean by relevance is twofold: 1- keeping it relevant to yourself and 2- keeping it relevant to what you're doing (work). For instance, when we start to lose steam at work we usually start doing things that we personally find more 'relevant'. ex) we start surfing the internet for unrelated things; we check personal e-mail or social networks; we may start chatting with friends/ co-workers, etc. This, of course, is when productivity (in a work sense) is threatened. The key here to try to funnel what feels like fun (personally relevant) to what is actually at hand (work-relevant).

Granted, this is a lot easier said than done. One way I have found effective is to section off those things on your list that you find most inherently interesting. Obviously this doesn't apply if you are under a deadline or in a time-crunch. A good example here would be a creative initiative you are working on to propose to the boss. Here is something that you're generating, you're driving, is work-relevant, and is your brainchild. Take this intersection between personal interest and work-relevance and run with it. Also remember, sometimes- late in the day- it helps to switch gears altogether. For instance, if you've been crunching numbers all day in spreadsheets, try changing directions by thinking about a project from a high level. What is this? Why is it important? Often this 'zooming out' lends you an opportunity to think about a topic from a fresh perspective. Sometimes researching trends in your industry or market will show you relevance in areas you never thought of as being relevant, as well as enhancing your awareness in your industry.

We all run out of steam sometimes, and that's okay: we're human. But another thing that makes us human is having intrinsic interests. If you can try to funnel these interests to a common goal, you'll not only be more productive for your company, but also for yourself.