So Many Choices... So Little Mind

Here’s some news you can use —

Our good friends in the field of neuroscience have proven that the brain’s most productive time is within the first two hours of waking up.

Ah yes, smug pessimists, you’re right about this one — it’s all downhill from here.

But optimists, take heart! Applied wisely, this could be the best news you’ve heard all day.

First off, let’s explore why this is so.

Well, in not-so-super-scientific terms, your brain gets tired. 

And what makes it tired? Three things really —

Decision. Decisions. Decisions.

Okay, that looks like only one thing. But it turns out that mental energy is drained away with every choice you make — especially those that involve willpower. At a certain point your grey matter thinks nothing matters... “Like whatever, Dude. Whatever.”

The actual super-scientific term for this is called decision fatigue. And it explains why a health-conscious person will refuse that tempting bowl of donutty frosted fun first thing in the morning, yet gleefully scarf down two or three at noon.

But is this fact of life only helpful for those trying to avoid donuts?

Nope.

Arming yourself with this insight can actually help you reach your creative goals. Here’s how:

1. Eliminate unnecessary life decisions... like that pesky morning fashion dilemma. Trust me, if your closet contains only black mock turtlenecks (Steve Jobs) or gray t-shirts (Mark Zuckerberg), you’ll free up your mind for more important choices. And if you want to really go full throttle with decision elimination, you can ditto successful CEOs Alexa Von Tobel and Leo Widrich by eating the same meals each and every day as well.

2. If you spend the first two hours of your day watching YouTube videos of cats wedging themselves into teeny tiny boxes, you might want to rethink the way you start your morning.  Remember that those first two hours are 120 minutes of golden creative opportunity.

3. Creative endeavors require willpower. That is, for most of us they’re optional activities so a decision must be made daily — as in, “Will I write something today, or not?” And we all know what happens when you leave this decision until evening...Yep, you’re glazed and confused from eating ALL the donuts, and you’ve got no words in the file.

So, make the decision ahead of time. In fact, build a habit such as “Every day at (pick your favorite time) I write for X number of minutes or Y number of words.” And voila! That was just one decision, and you’ve already made it! So, if you stick to this plan, you won’t ever need to decide again — leaving your brain freed up for other important choices like...

Do I want the chocolate frosting or vanilla?

PROMPT: Give your brain a choice break and start building creative habits. For a kick-start in habit formation, check out Gretchen Rubin’s book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives.

By the way, I am guiltily aware that one of your decisions today was spent on choosing to read this blog. For that, I am grateful.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know. This baby New Year is already 28 days old and cutting teeth. What’s more, I’ve read a recent article suggesting that most of you have given up on your writing resolutions by now.

Now that’s just sad.

So maybe it’s time to regroup and give yourself a restart.

An awesome theme song might help...

You Gotta Be by Des'ree, Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), or Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Monty Python are all excellent choices. However, I do NOT recommend Waiting Around to Die by Townes Van Zandt, or Beck’s Loser for obvious reasons.

A Statement of Awesomeness comes in handy, too...

Something like Writing for the Wide Screen in 2016, Novels, Art, and Caffeine for 2016, or I’m a Creating Machine in 2016 could be just the ticket to set your wonderful wheels in motion. 

Personally, I’m Plotting for Dopamine in 2016. Clearly I find it hard to resist wordplay that combines my love of both writing and psychology. And yes, I am well aware that I’m the only one chuckling right now. But I do digress...

Please note that if your 2015 Statement of Awesomeness was... well, awesome, then there’s certainly no shame in It’s What I REALLY mean in 2016!

So let’s restart this New Year the right way right now!

Here are FIVE TIPS to make the awesome part guaranteed: 

1. Say YES to RESOLUTIONS! Even though New Year's resolutions get a bum rap, our friends in the Journal of Clinical Psychology note that those who make them are actually 10 times more likely to successfully change their behavior than those who do not.
2. ACTION is your friend. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action.” While his words should not be confused with the post-Teddy phrase “get some action”... his sentiments remain spot on. ACTION, whether you're taking it or getting it, is always a good thing.
3. FINISH! Vow to finish something this year... and this something can be ANYTHING... even an anything as humble as a haiku. Just finish it. And while you’re finishing, remember this as well – DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. If the last line of that haiku has one extra syllable that you just can't seem to shed — I do not care, mon frère. Call it done, grin, and move on.
4. Then there’s the first cousin of DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT, affectionately known as LATE IS BETTER THAN NEVER... just like this post... ahem. See, it’s true.
5. Finally, if you can remember only one of all the tips I’ve mentioned, please let it be this one — STAY IN THE GAME. It doesn’t matter what we’re talking about here – resolutions, goals, dreams, desires, or life in general and specifically – STAY IN THE GAME. It’s always worth the ride.

Bonus Tip: Through it all, BE NICE TO YOURSELF. And if you happen to get to a point where you’re spouting a bunch of F words like failure, frustration, or face-plant, remember that a new year can begin on any given day at any given moment —

even this one right now.

PROMPT: Art is not just what we do. Art is who we are.

Yes, my friend, your LIFE is a work of art —

so, make it a good one.

And here’s a little extra motivation that cracks me up and never gets old.

Crunch Time

The past two weeks have been a series of wondrous adventures.

I've explored The Great Barrier Reef…

Time traveled to 1849…

Investigated yabby behavior…

Yet still found time to squeeze in an Everest summit attempt.

Of course, all of this excitement took place on the page, but dang—

It was fun...

and scary!

For those of you who may be wondering what it's really like to write for an education company, here's how the excitement typically begins:

Fabulous Editor Person: Hi, Barb! We need two poems about the Civil War, a talking dog cautionary tale, and a nonfiction bit about the life and times of a slug.

Me: Sounds great! When do you need them?

Super Fabulous Editor Person: Yesterday.

Me: What time yesterday?

Super Fantastically Fabulous Editor Person: 4 o’clock.

Me: No problem.

Okay, okay, that’s an exaggeration — the deadline part, not the “Super Fantastically Fabulous” part (everyone I've ever worked for has been exactly that). However, the time frames can be a bit hair-raising.

Of course, the upside about hairy scary due dates is that the associated panic, relief, and adrenaline rushes mean I never have to waste cash on sky diving or bungee jumping.

Anyway, I still have ten more projects to complete with several lifelines between now and June 6th.

That’s right, I said LIFElines, not deadlines — and not simply because that other term has the messy and morose “swimming with the fishes” part, but because lifeline is actually more accurate.

How so?

Well, those daunting dates leave NO ROOM FOR DOUBT, and as such, they always breathe life into the weak-pulsed, gasping for oxygen, harebrained ideas I come up with.

Face it, if you have an endless amount of time to finalize a piece of writing, you hem and haw, you twiddle your thumbs and wonder if you should have gone to law school, you think and rethink that this is absolutely, positively the dumbest idea ever, and then finally you go clean the tub.

With a “lifeline” all that crazy-making (and sadly, housecleaning) goes away.

So, if I'm working on a story that’s due tomorrow, and all I can come up with is something about a boy and his duck — well dadgummit, it’s going to be the best dang “boy and his duck” story that I can possibly muster.

And guess what?

It usually turns out much better than I ever expected.

It will for you, too.

And yes, I have actually sold a “boy and his duck” story. 

PROMPT: Ditch the dead and embrace the lifeline. Set a due date for your next project and make it real. Give a friend a check filled out to your LEAST favorite cause and have them send it in if you’re not done on time. Or 

worse — have someone hide the chocolate (gasp!) until you’re through.

You can do this! How do I know? Because you are Super Fantastically Fabulous!

Set a date. Get it done. Then invite me to the party.

May I Help You?

"There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately...

no one knows what they are."

— W. Somerset Maugham

Oh, pshaw!

Mr. M. is just messing with you.

Everybody knows the rules —

  

1. Read stuff.

2. Write stuff.

3. Buy a pug.

Okay, okay, that last one is optional.

But you don’t have to listen to me.

Let’s see what Ray has to say…

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. 

Then see what happens. 

Most of my friends who are put on that diet 

have very pleasant careers.”

~Ray Bradbury

Yeah, Ray thought pugs were optional, too.

PROMPT: Mayday, Mayday! Your manuscript is calling! Use those three special steps to rock your May writing goals.

Just Do It

“I hate writing, I love having written.”

― Dorothy Parker

What if you want to be a writer…

but you hate to write?

This was Kate DiCamillo’s dilemma.

So, she spent an entire decade dreaming of being a writer while working odd jobs.

Like the one at Disney World where she told folks to “Look down and watch your step” all day…

Every. Day.

For all of her twenties, Kate didn't write a single word.

Then she decided…

that she didn't want to say on her deathbed, “I think I could have done it.”

She also decided…

That she didn't have to be talented.

She just had to be persistent.

So, she got up at 4:30 every day and wrote two pages.

And it didn't matter if those pages stank to high heaven.

Then she started submitting stories.

For most of her thirties, she collected rejection slips.

400 of them.

I’m so glad she didn't quit after rejection 392.

Because here’s what came next—

Because of Winn Dixie, Newbery Honor Book, 2000

The Tale of Despereaux, Newbery Medal Winner, 2004

Flora and Ulysses, Newbery Medal Winner, 2014

And guess what?

She still hates to write. In fact, that Dorothy Parker quote is her favorite.

So, she hangs Christmas lights all around her desk to convince herself that she’s having a good time.

Then she gets up early

And writes those two pages…

Even if they stink.

PROMPT: Decide to be persistent. Set a doable daily goal… and right away, write anyway.

Write on… and on… and on!

Happy New Year!

I’m wishing you all the BEST for your 2014 creative goals!

Today is a great day to dream your dreams…

Wish your wishes…

Plan your plans…

Then plan to be surprised!

Some of the BEST things in life are happy accidents, after all.

PROMPT: Write down your 2014 aspirations! Sure, you may not intend to look at them again. In fact, you may plan to toss them in a drawer… rip them to shreds… or set them on fire. WRITE THEM DOWN anyway. It’s all part of the Mind’s Elbow magic formula.

And yes, I still believe in magic.

Trust me, life’s a whole lot more fun if you do.

Ponder the Possibilities

The last weekend of December is one of my favorites.

Why?

Because I’m a complete sucker for the New Year.

It’s so chock-full of sunshiny New Possibilities — the perfect antidote for this cold, dark, and dreary time of the year.

But before I sit down to write resolutions or goals, I spend a couple of days just dreaming.

Here are some of the mind openers I like to use —

If I could create anything, I’d write, paint, sculpt, compose…

If I could go anywhere, I’d go…

If I had a billion dollars, I would…

If I could fully fund any charity, I’d fund…

If I could meet anyone, I’d love to fist bump…

If I could be the BEST at something, I’d choose…

Wouldn’t it be cool if…?

By the way, I believe that last one is a little magical. Once upon a time, I asked that question during a meeting. Two years later, following some wild, crazy, and completely unexpected circumstances, I ended up here —

Yes, my friends, it was cool.

PROMPT: Today’s a great day to use that beautiful, bendable mind’s elbow of yours to start creating a wonderful life.

Off to a Flying Start!

Last Friday I experienced the delight of Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

And there among the Fairchilds, Pipers, and Nieuports, I couldn't help but wonder how they would taste with a side of fries.

After all, my all-time favorite inspirational goal-setter happens to be Michel Lotito.

Yeah, I’m talking about the French guy who dreamed big — Cessna 150 big.

As in, he wanted to eat one.

So he did…

Along with 18 bicycles…

15 shopping carts…

7 televisions…

6 chandeliers…

2 beds…

1 pair of skis…

And a coffin.

Sure, he was probably bananas (ironically, the one food that made him sick).

But hey, if some crazy French guy can eat a Cessna 150 —

IMAGINE what YOU can do!

Getting back to that novel or posse of picture books doesn't sound so bad now, does it?

And I’ll bet they taste a whole lot better, too.

PROMPT: BIG Goals and unusual food choices are on the menu for today… go ahead and combine the two if you’re feeling a little French. What are your main character’s favorite foods? What’s the stuff he/she will not touch? Or try this appetizer and GO — The minute I saw those random number generators piled high on Elmer’s plate, I knew there was bound to be trouble…

Get Ready…

November is only two weeks away, and you know what that means…

A month of outright madness.

No, I’m not talking about the fact that it’s the official Banana Pudding Lovers Month, Sweet Potato Awareness Month, or contains the ever-popular National Fig Week.

  

I’m talking NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month.

For those of you who don’t know about this crazy creative caper, here’s a little background —

Back in 1999, Chris Baty, an out-of-work anthropologist came up with the idea to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. And while we can certainly wonder why this guy was unemployed when every company in the world has at least 27 positions specifically designed for anthropologists, we cannot question his NaNoWriMo creative brilliance.

Heck, it is even fun to say.

Anyway, an idea that began with a group of 21 friends from the San Francisco Bay area (drinking enough coffee in one month to kill an elephant) has evolved into a force of over 200,000 participants worldwide.

Elephants beware.

And while I've never actually completed an entire novel in a month, each year I've used the 30 days of November to make a HUGE dent in my WIP (Work in Progress).

Why?

Because misery LOVES miserable company, that’s why.

Actually, I've done it because I find it much easier to edit words on a page than those floating around in my head on the slow boat to nowhere.

I’m encouraging you to try it for yourself.

You have two weeks to think about it —

Unless, of course, you’re too busy prepping for all that sweet potato awareness.

PROMPT: Are you planning to have a NaNoWriMo November? For more information, you can check out Mr. Baty’s official website here.

May I Help You?

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Your manuscript is calling you!

It’s been many moons since NaNoWriMo, and summer is just around the corner.

Well, you know what that means…

May is the perfect month to kick some writing booty!

To accomplish this, let’s take a tip from those biggy wiggies of the business world. Many of those coffee-slugging movers and over-caffeinated shakers use a nifty goal-setting acronym –

SMART

And we’re talking smart as in intelligent, NOT smart as in ouch.

The SMART plan goes like this:

S – Make sure your goal is SPECIFIC. “I am going to produce three new chapters” or “I am going to revise my entire manuscript” are two terrific specific goals.

M is for MEASURABLE. When it comes to carrying out the goal mentioned above, how do you plan to go about it? Word counts, page counts, and minutes are great ways to measure progress. “I am going to write for 15 minutes a day every day” or “I am going to produce 500 words every day” will get the job done.

A – Make sure your steps are ACHIEVABLE. Do yourself a favor and ditch the “I will write four hours a day come Hell or high water” goal. Err on the itty bitty step side – you get to say “YAY!” more often, and “YAY!” is always fun.

R – The business world says this stands for relevant, but I say it stands for ROCKS! Make sure your goal fires you up! Otherwise, what the heck is the point? Please refer to the “YAY!” bit above.

T is for TIME-BOUND. This one is easy squeezy because we’ve already established it. These are May goals. And conveniently, May rhymes with “YAY!” (See above).

There you have it – SMART!

Feel the POWER of rising IQ points!

But hey, if you don’t want to be SMART, you can always celebrate May some other way –

It is National Better Sleep Month, after all.

PROMPT: Get SMART or get a whole lotta sleep. Your call.