I recently found myseful staring down the barrel of a deadline gun. I had a piece to write and submit, I knew I had a couple of late nights ahead of me. How was I going to get through it? I reached out to my contacts and asked this question:
“What do you do when the chips are down, it’s midnight, you’re frazzled and you need inspiration, motivation? Do tell.”
I got some great responses which have proved useful to me. They can be applied quite generally so I hope they may help some of you too. Here are a few ideas, feel free to add your own and I’ll post some more good ones on Monday.
Have a lovely weekend – Doug
Dave Campbell-Watts offered this:
Me at that point, I jot down my current thought, blockage, idea and go to bed. I know that I work completely inefficiently when I’m tired (or hungry) so I take the brave step and sleep. Let the sub-conscious do its magic. I come back to the work with fresh zeal and new ideas.
Start the next day by focussing and planning. Focus on the dream and the outcome, get excited again. Then plan the day, set targets, work out what needs to be done. I work in 45min-1.5hr bursts towards the target, once I feel my brain hit treacle its time for a breather and a change of scene.
Moving about is important for me to keep the energy flowing. Walking about the office, presenting to myself (people do wonder sometimes – a private space can be better for this!); a real brain pile-up might require a walk on the mountain with a notebook and pen in pocket.
I aim to enjoy the process as well as the outcome; if I’m having fun I’ll work a lot harder and the output will be far better!
Helen Peters suggested:
“involve othersâ€, to create false deadlines (get someone to proof read something – that will make you finish it, and improve the end product), share questions, blockers.
The other one is take the dog for a walk across the fields.
