Was it the 49th or 50th time this week I sat down to write this month’s blog? I lost count. Not much happened aside from opening Word. I’ve got nothing. Why don’t I let myself off for the month, hand myself a pass? I could do that. In fact, the side of my psyche that’s encouraging me to be less controlling, more laissez-faire is giving the pass a thumb’s up. What a relief. Hold on. My disciplined side isn’t on board. What if next month I run into the same blank canvass? I feel the insidious guilt creeping in. A number of new subscribers joined since August, I can’t let them down. Then there’s my “groupie” followers who regularly let me know that my writing is helpful to them in unexpected ways. Will they mind if I leave them hanging? What if I break the routine and don’t get back on track?
I guide my clients to overcome inertia and guilt they say they experience when their lingering organizing projects or household tasks weigh them down physically and emotionally. For a variety of reasons their to-dos aren’t getting done. Why? Most of the time, because they don’t feel like doing them. Time to start coaching myself through my own inertia. Jet lag and vacation mode excuses are only valid for so long.
No more excuses, I truly do want to get to it and cross it off my list. Well that’s great, but I’ve still got nothing. When the well is dry, what do I do? I tap into a series of tricks that usually work. Let’s look at what I’ve tried so far and what’s still in my toolkit. Who knows, maybe one or two of these or variations might get the ball rolling for you under similar “stuck” circumstances.
1. My places of inspiration
Sites and sounds on my daily walks often spur creativity as my brain relaxes into the moment
Many times I’ve shared that my daily walks and showers are typically where my divine downloads occur. So far they haven’t yielded much. Perhaps I’m trying too hard. Maybe my next walk or tomorrow’s shower will deliver. Fingers crossed.
2. My drafts
During moments of self-described brilliance (I don’t expect others will concur), I keep a series of blog drafts hidden behind my website curtains. I scoured through these semi-finished or barely started compositions. Occasionally I get dang lucky when I find one that is mostly constructed requiring only a few remaining thoughts, strategies, or images. In fact, after I returned from my vacation, ready to launch into this blog, I came across a draft from exactly a year ago. High five, it was nearly done. I added a few final notes, walked away for the afternoon, and I haven’t gone back. It’s not singing to me, at least not yet. So this morning, it was back to an empty drawing board.
Whether it’s running lists, draft reports, step-by-step instructions, find a place to store your ideas to make mining for gold easier in the future. Use whatever mode makes sense to you such as a Word Document, Evernote file, paper or digital key worded folder. For me, storing blog drafts embedded in my website makes them easy to find. I keep a backup copy in Word just in case.
3. My patience
I’m rarely, if ever, patient. Rather than totally stress out, I decided to set aside writing the blog for a few days while taking care of more pressing issues knowing that if I ignored it, I would be rewarded with literary artistry. Literary artistry, who am I kidding? As a realist, I’m well aware that my scribbles are unlikely to be confused with professional authoring, yet there are times I grant myself a thumbs up. Those moments I wish I could turn back time to show some junior and high school naysaying teachers who had given up on my ability to turn a phrase, that hey, my chicken scratch got me published in a number of respected publications. Now can we revisit my class grades?
Even if you suffer from impatience, walk away. Stay away for a few minutes or an hour or more depending upon your deadlines. Sometimes refreshing your perspective allows your genius to emerge.
4. My hummingbird brain
What’s a hummingbird brain? Ah, my October blog just materialized. And it turns out it’s already written, mostly culled from last August’s Toastmasters’ speech. Had I thought of it sooner, I could have used it now. That gets me to point #5 brain-fog induced memory lapses. Between brain fog and my neural hummingbird mischievously distracting my attention, my keyboard’s been left in the dust. It’s one thing to intentionally attend to other things in hopes of organically receiving ingenuity, it’s another to consciously attempt to focus in the midst of incessant distractibility. Sigh. The exasperating, squeaking squirrel outside my office window isn’t helping.
When you tune into what’s distracting you, rather than fight it, overcome it. Keep reading to see how I shut out the squirrel, and got back to work.
5. My brain fog
Many times I’ve written about my struggles with brain fog. Between allergies, food sensitivities (both of which I’m working diligently on remedying), and menopause, there are days that brain fog is nearly debilitating. Moments when I can barely string a series of words together. If you ever have the chance to work with me and suspect that I’m drugged out or had a bit too much alcohol, I can assure you that I come by this naturally, if you consider breathing and food consumption natural. Sugary foods including fruit and any carbohydrates definitely aggravate the situation, so I do my best to avoid or reduce their intake. Summer months, when seasonal fruits are lusciously enticing and only available for a short duration, I don’t resist all that well. Even though I bulk them up with nuts and seeds, my thoughts get addled within an hour or so of digesting. Dang.
Sitting too long also muddles my clarity, perhaps due to spinal compression. My body cries out for me to move around. Circulate the blood and oxygen to renew my vigor. Each time I get up, I hope to return with eloquent material. Since I’ve gotten this far, it seems to help. If you notice that certain foods or prolonged sitting cause lethargy and lack of focus, grab some protein. That will get you out of your chair and decompress your spine for a few minutes. If you’re afraid to lose thoughts, write them down before you leave or take a notepad along with you.
6. My sensory nourishment
Before launching today, it occurred to me that so far this week I have forgotten my 17 minute daily Qi Gong. I felt something was missing. I was out of routine after being away. Deep breathing, easy flowing exercise might get the gears churning in a more productive way. Normally, I alternate between this YOQI video and Donna Eden’s daily energy routine to wake my body and solidify my mind after breakfast. Most days this practice resets my vibrancy. Other days, not so much. Maybe barometric pressure is submerging my brain under layers of atmospheric cement this week.
I applied essential oils on my arms, neck and under my nose allowing the scents to gently activate my brain cells. Sometimes there’s success. Today’s not one of them. My brain is off-line.
Next stop, stimulating herbal teas that contain l-theanine, antioxidants, and/or adaptogenic herbs such as green tea, ashwagandha, or Rooibos. What are adaptogens? They’re plants and even some mushrooms that calm the stress response and energize the body, boost mental clarity, potentially stabilize blood sugar, and possibly regulate depressive symptoms along with other physical and neuro benefits. Before adding any new stimulants or herbs to your diet, check with your medical practitioner to avoid any counterindications or undesirable side effects.
I’ve been sipping and typing. The alluring aromas dance around under my nose with each sip. Words are obviously generating. Could the tea be triggering neurons so quickly? I’m nearly finished, that’s all that matters now.
7. My music
One of my go to cds to reduce stress and improve focus. Rachmaninoff & Medtner played by Saida Kafarova and Desiree Paulsen Bakke.
I had to shut out that screeching squirrel. Why not music? Some studies have shown that classical and jazz music calm the central nervous system thereby reducing stress effects. Relaxation, in turn, improves focus, memory and mood. Whether it’s the creative and complex construction of the pieces that activate the brain or whether instrumentals provide less distracting background music than vocals for me, I don’t know. Perhaps I feel more intellectual when I listen to cerebral harmonies, melodies, or improvisational syncopations. When I need a rapid energizing boost to get through dull tasks such as bill paying, you bet I crank up my rock favorites. I don’t find rock music helpful for deep cognitive output.
Regardless of what the studies or I say, use whatever works for you. If you don’t know where your magic lies, experiment with a variety. There are many genres outside of rock, classical, jazz, rap, hip hop. Sample world music, spiritual, blues, country, ambient and so on. Different styles may render different moods or levels of productivity. Another paragraph written, music is helping.
8. My blog
After wrestling in an uninspired abyss for days, in less than 15 minutes this blog mostly wrote itself. At this point, Word is telling me that I’m at 1684 words. A long way from zero. I found my toolkit. I dove in. Some tools worked, others not so much. Bottom-line, my to-do is done. I can’t make any guarantees for you or that these tricks will work for me in the future, they’re a place to start.
Inevitably, we all face a blank canvas. That’s stressful. Relieving the stress, the fear, the aggravation, admittedly not easy, opens the doors to inch your way forward. What’s in your productivity toolkit? What devices help you remember that you have tools at your disposal when you need them? If you often forget what to do, what steps can you use to remind yourself? How willing are you to try something new when the tried and true tools aren’t doing their job? Life is one big experiment, feel free to play around in your lab.
