I’m No Good at Transitions
Start a day in a meeting; then it’s off to start writing. Some people can immediately be working. That won’t be me that you’re seeing. I’m not one of those people. I’m no good at transitions.
Tim Allen best expressed this feeling. He said smething like,
I hate getting into the shower, and I hate getting out.
That’s me.
The problem is I leave a meeting, chirping like a box of birds. It’s a personal idiosyncrasy–once my extrovert gets talking and interacting, I have trouble finding my thinking and writing introvert. As with most things me, the only solution I’ve found — giving my brain what it needs — I’m good at that.
Reflection Is Better than Rattling
I think the sudden silence scares me, especially silence paired with a blank computer screen. I’ve learned to build in a space between the talking and the writing thing. I think of that space as like the commute from work to home — time to unwind from one and get ready for the other. I call that time my 6-Minute Transition, because it takes as long as one good song in my headphones.
My objective is to stop rattling — wanting to talk about anything and everything. I want to get rid of all the stress I have — from the meeting and from anywhere in my life. That way I can really think and really write.
A 6-Minute Transition for Writing
Here’s how I get my brain to leave those stressful things behind.
- I pick my topic and write it down. Then promptly forget about it.
- I pull a lovely image onto my computer screen.
- I put headphones on and slide into a song I know — an old friend.
- When the song’s over, I’ve detached from the world.
- I start writing, sometimes with the music still on; sometimes I turn it off.
That little transition has moved me far from what was going on before. It had the effect that a short commute would have had, but I did it without leaving my computer. My brain is in another place now. I’m ready to focus on the task of writing.
I find a blank screen in my head is much easier to deal with than one on the computer.
Do you have tricks that you use to get you in the mood for writing? Share them; would you? I could always use a few more.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Cas says
April 25, 2006 at 11:43 AMIt does require that you leave the computer, but I find the one thing guaranteed to get me in the right frame of mind is to go to the kitchen and make a cup of tea. The whole tea-making process is a little ritual that detaches my mind just the right amount – not too much that I loose focus, but enough to take that manic edge off. Then you have the drinking of the cup of tea, which gives you time to organise ideas better, and of course by the end of the cup you are nicely refreshed and ready to start again.
Coffee, or any other drink would work just as well I expect, but tea is my weapon of choice.
ME Strauss says
April 25, 2006 at 11:46 AMHi Cas,
Exactly. Einstein when he had a problem used to go play the violin. Giving you brain room to move is the best thing you can do.
So good to hear from you!
Liz
Cas says
April 25, 2006 at 12:57 PMDrinking tea is probably slightly less disruptive to colleagues, but if it worked for Einstein, perhaps this is where I’ve been going wrong all these years? 😉
It’s nice to be heard from. I’m still a big fan of the wonderful work you’re doing here Liz – I’m just sorry that work is eating into the time I should be spending commenting on your brilliant articles. Keep up the good work!
~Cas
ME Strauss says
April 25, 2006 at 1:18 PMHi Cas,
Isn’t that always the how it goes? There”s alyways lots to do, but work gets in the way.
Jack says
April 25, 2006 at 3:10 PMnow thats really nice topic Liz. When I get bored and really wants to try something different I go and water plants or do some exercise. Both works fine for relaxing and changing my mind for a while, but since I can’t water my plants every hour, I end up doing some stretching most of the time. But my back never complains 🙂
Jack
ME Strauss says
April 25, 2006 at 3:40 PMHello Jack,
Gardening used to be a fine way for me to think to–before I came back to the city. Now I use my brain to do Zen traveling and make my own gardening happen iin my head.
Thanks for your positivity. 🙂
Liz
Jack says
April 25, 2006 at 11:11 PMwow! gardening in mind sounds cool! but.. what about manure? :-p
ME Strauss says
April 25, 2006 at 11:13 PMMy mental garden doesn’t need that. 😉
I have other nutrients to replace humus.