What to do When You have Run Out of Ideas?

I am stumped today because I seem to have run out of ideas on what to write to make a difference. That gives me something to deep dive into. What to do when you have run out of ideas :-)

The first step is to take a break - a power snooze break, or a music break, or a reading break or a fruit / juice break. I took a 5-minute power snooze break followed by an apple break.

In fact, we work best in cycles of 90 minutes with a 10 minute break in-between. It's called the Ultradian Rhythm. Pioneering researcher, Nathan Kleitman, discovered that our bodies operate in 90 minutes rhythm not only during the night but also during the day when we move from higher alertness to lower alertness.

In his renowned 1993 study of young violinists, performance researcher Anders Ericsson found that the best ones all practiced the same way: in the morning, in three increments of no more than 90 minutes each, with a break between each one. Ericcson discovered the same pattern among other musicians, athletes, chess players and writers.

Experiment with scheduling your day in slots of 90 minutes interspersed with 10 minutes of break. The moments of most focus are immediately before the break and after the break. By creating a number of smaller breaks into your schedule instead of one big break, you are actually increasing the duration of intense focus and concentration.

See, even though I coach my clients on the ultradian rhythm, how easy it is not follow what you teach? I remembered this principle only when I was struggling with the writers' block and realised that I was at my desk non-stop for the last 6 hours till I remembered to take a break.  

The second step is to not stay distracted but come back after 10 minutes to the original place where you are stuck. One would have a tendency to wander away to tick off some other easier item on the task list. If it is important to have a breakthrough in the spot where you are stuck, it would be productive to come right back to where you left off and you will find an access to move forward. Just like I did.

The third step is to use the power of writing to engage the full horsepower of the intellect, if you are working alone and the power of questions if you are working in a group. Instead of wrestling with things in your head, it is hugely effective to pour it all out on a paper. I have some of the most elegant solutions through the process of submitting the mind to the discipline of the written word, allowing the words to freely flow out and not let the mind come in the way. 

With groups, I use what I call Socratic Discussions where the power of questions is used to lead the group forward for inquiry, discovery and insights. Only 2 rules, either you have a question or you are answering a question someone in the group asked. Owe my 2 years of training with Worldwide Institute of Action Learning for my love of questions and the ability to use them to engage in effective conversations for creative solutions.

Well, I got off from where I was stuck. You can too, everytime.

Love, Jyoti.