It never fails. I get off to a pretty good start in the morning, working through some writing task or schoolwork and building up a head of steam for the day. I pause to take a break and reward myself for a job well done and then BOOM. I am done. I’m no longer in that productive headspace and I’m walking around trying to figure out what happened and where the fire went. The problem happens almost every day. I can finish a handful of tasks before the clip scrapes empty. The question is, how do I quickly reload?
I think I need to write a book. I think the book ought to have a handful of midday starters that, based on brain science, trigger the brain to reignite after a lull. For me the issue seems to be that the break takes me so completely out of the proper headspace that a map and a compass don’t do the trick to get me back to where I belong. Minecraft references not withstanding, it is important to have a grip on your headspace. Understanding the things that get you going and the things that pull you out is key to a productive day. Sometimes it can be the work environment itself that is not conducive to sucking you back into the zone. My office sucks. The one at home was pretty decent until the kitten invasion, and the one at work is anything but conducive to productive thought. So, yeah, maybe an office makeover helps. But who can afford that?
A more realistic approach, for me at least, seems to be the discovery of those triggers that put me in the proper mindset to function. Some people have a writing ritual they go through at the start of their process. I have no such thing but there are elements of buddhist meditation and key writings that could be strung together to form such a thing. That’s one option.
As we speak I’m trying the ten minute rule as an option to swing back into headspace. However, I’m already considering going down to the campus coffee shop post two minutes from now in order to quench my thirst.
The fact is, I don’t quite have the secrets to the mystery that is my own writing and working process. I often don’t have that thrust to get started. Eventually it just happens, but understanding how it happens seems to be key to replicating it and refining that process in the future. I’ll consider a future work in progress.
For now, I think it is time to lap up some coffee-like drink.
Some Thoughts:
- The Brady suspension reversal is a big deal for the league. It means that the league doesn’t have final say in its own disciplinary affairs…
- How come they didn’t go to bat for Adrien Peterson like that?