Who Said ‘If you Snooze, You Lose?’

It’s a daily ritual: My two-year-old’s footsteps can be heard slapping across the kitchen floor and onto my bedroom hardwood. My arms reach out for him even before he throws his chubby arms upward to come snuggle with his Mommy and Daddy. It happens every morning, like clockwork, at seven a.m. Except that yesterday it was unusually dark when he did this. My husband took a bleary-eyed look at his cell phone. “It’s not even six yet!” He exclaimed, when our son gamely jostled him and stated, “I wan’ bekbas” (breakfast.) I peered at my alarm clock through one gritty eye. “It’s seven.”

“What the heck?” We both asked  in unison. Oh yeah. Fall Back. No one told us. No one told our kiddos’ internal clocks either. That’s why we’ve spent the last two days dispirited and fatigued–bedtime is really here, only the clock says we have to muster for a whole hour more. It’s brutal, I tell you. Hence, I am taking this opportunity to espouse the incomparable benefits of napping. (And I’m not just talking to those under the age of six, either.) If you want to increase your creative productivity, it’s time for siesta.

Oh, glorious sleep, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1) Studies show that 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest than 20 minutes more sleep in the morning.

2) Most people’s bodies naturally become more tired in the afternoon, about 8 hours after we wake up, so this is the ideal time for a ‘power nap’.

3) While an hour-long nap has the most restorative effect on the body, even fifteen minutes of light sleep or meditation can be enough to recharge for the rest of the day.

Do you remember laying your head on your desk in grade school when the teacher prompted you to take a rest? Even as a grown-up, you can find a hard surface and your own cozy arms just about anywhere. I remember how good that felt to just stare into the darkness between my elbows and shut out the bustle of the world. Make an effort to do this daily and your creativity is sure to reap the rewards. (Just think if you could recapture the creative genius of your fourth-grade self–who’s to say you can’t?)

Don’t feel guilty about napping, either.

In his book “Think Naked”, Marco Marsan, a man considered by the Fortune 500 to be one of America’s most inventive minds, says, “Napping has proved itself a powerful brain supercharger. When did we begin to equate naps with laziness? How many times have we bragged about how little sleep we received and were still able to perform? Well, it goes against the nature and the results from a 25-year study on the effects of napping. The study revealed that 92.5 percent of workers, after an afternoon nap, increased their productivity, their creativity, and their problem-solving skills.”

Pump yourself up with the good stuff: Powerful foods, plentiful exercise, spiritual levitation (wouldn’t that be cool?), and rejuvenating naps. I’m telling you, folks, your mind is going to be so well-greased that your shoes might slip while you’re racing to get all of those ideas down. So, the next time we convene, I’ll share some trade secrets for storing your ideas. Then you won’t end up flat on your fanny, wondering where they went!

Seek Your Spirit

Spirituality, and religion in particular, can be cause for an uproar at any family Thanksgiving. Cousin Ed believes that his pocket-sized statue of Buddha holds all mysteries of the universe, while Aunt Sally believes in the Holy Trinity and goes to churce twice a week. Sister Maude made an unlikely connection to the Catholic church while visiting Italy last year, and now she’s trying to figure out how to become the first female Jesuit priest. Then there’s Grandma–she thinks that religion is a bunch of mullarky, just an excuse for people to criticize and belittle each other. It’s craziness, and unless the turkey is tender and moist and the mashed potatoes buttery and smooth, these people might just begin to throw food at each other.

Yet, I can honestly say that I admire each of these people (even though I have no Ed’s or Sally’s or Maude’s in my family,) because each of them is passionate about what he or she believes. They will throw insults (or food) around at will to defend their spiritual beliefs. While you may need to work on better seating arrangements in this setting, give your lunatic relatives credit for finding a connection that matters to them.

I’m not sure what the red string has to do with it, but when I think of spiritualism versus fanaticism, I picture Madonna going to synagogue and proudly wearing evidence of her connection to the Kabbalah. I see in my mind’s eye, Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch and berating Brooke Shields. You might call them extremists, but you cannot argue about the incredible heights of their successes. Will Smith walks the line between his Scientology friends and the Christian spiritualism with which he was raised, and when quizzed, he does quite well to explain his beliefs, “Our twin towers came down because of ignorant religious fundamentalism. I am a student of world religions and my religion is love.”

What does this have to do with creativity, you ask? How will this make you more productive? The answer is simple: Just like nourishing your body and being fit, you grow your ability to tap into your creative consciousness by knowing your soul. If you never understand your connection to the greater universe, chances are you will never find the sinew that connects your mind to a higher level of thinking. Even if you believe in nothing but the present time, your singular existence on the Earth, and your present body, then BELIEVE it, OWN it, REFLECT it in your art.

I have honed my own set of beliefs over the years, I’ve fed them, and some of the things I thought I believed, have proven to be untrue. My spirituality is open-ended and that is what I OWN. This gives me peace and it pushes me to write what I want to write. It liberates my thinker to tell stories unencumbered by the ponderances of an unsure soul.

So here is an exercise to try. Answer this series of questions:

1) If I had to pick one spirit guide, who would it be? (Jesus? Buddha? Allah? Michael Jackson?)

2) What do I do on a daily basis to connect to that spirit guide?

3) What do I do to communicate my connection to others? (Without forcing others to believe the same.)

4) How often do I re-evaluate that connection and adjust my thinking accordingly?

Now, sit down with your answers. If you are dissatisfied in any way with the spiritual connections you have made, then you need to seek answers. Who do you admire? Do you idolize Nelson Mandela or Boy George? Do you love the way Celine Dion carries herself, or the chanting of the Monks? Study the spiritual beliefs of the people you admire. Find out what makes them tick, and then develop your own set of truths. Repeat the exercise if needed and continue to grow your mind-body connection.

Do you need a nap now? Come see me next week to read about the ways that sleep can improve your creative productivity.

My NEW Book!

NEW for Fall 2009!

 

SLIPPERY from CMP Publishing Group, LLC

   A young mother, an unfortunate slip–a tragic accident that will change her family’s lives forever–

   Danica Burdick has beaten the odds of teenage motherhood and one failed marriage to build a new life with her soulmate, Jimmy. Add three gorgeous kids and she truly has it all. Then she slips.

   What will become of her two older children if her wily ex-husband succeeds in seeing her dead? Will the authorities nail the man who runs over her and flees? And the toughest question of all–How will her parents, her best friends, and her beloved husband ever live without her?

   Much like the heroine of Slippery, you will find yourself holding on for dear life, as you navigate the profound twists and turns of a suspense novel written by a master storyteller.

     Go to www.cmppg.com and www.amazon.com November 15th to order your copy!

Brain Foods

I always think of my brain as this spongy, absorbent matter that fires off signals to and fills orders from the body, much like a mom does for her kids. The human brain is the ultimate multitasker. How else could I post on my blog, try to ignore squeaky ‘Chica’ from PBS Kids, soothe my baby to sleep, and mentally plan my day for tomorrow all at the same time? Yet, I realize that sometimes I ask too much of my brain. How fair is it for me to ask my mind to generate love, empathy, ideas, creativity, and practicality all day long? I fear that someday I will put my mind to bed and it will bury its head in the covers in the morning like my six-year-old!

Where Has The Time Gone? is about maximizing the time you have in your life for creativity. Key to this is the ability to nourish your thinker, to make your brain want to wake up and support the millions of ideas you’re shoving in there. I’ve discussed the role of exercise in improving brain activity. Now I want to tell you more about brain foods. Research can be found far and wide on the web about nutrition. I focused my search, though, on finding the types of foods that would specifically alter my ability to think. If this interests you also, you should check out this website from the Franklin Institute: www.fi.edu/learn/brain/pyramid.html.

So, here is the news on brain foods. Studies increasingly show that our brain function appears to increase when we are treated to foods containing Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are found in fish, olive, canola and walnut oil, avocados, and nuts like almonds and peanuts. Amino acids, contained in foods like cheese, eggs, fish, and meats are also linked to better brain function. Also try eating complex carbohydrates like brown rice or whole grains to give a long-lasting glucose boost. Finally, stock up on baby carrots, fresh berries, and other raw fruits and veggies for the anti-oxidants that keep the pathways healthy for the other stuff to get there.

Also, right in the same vein as auto engines, ultrasound scanning (because I am an ultrasonographer by day), and, er, other less conversational activities, little can be accomplished to get things moving without the magic of lubrication. If you want to feed your brain, you must hydrate. The MOST important thing you can put in your body to nourish your thinker is WATER. I know you can have too much of a good thing. I’ve had my stomach full enough of water to feel it listing like a fish tank on the bow of a yacht. But then, that’s when I know it’s time to stop guzzling. My kitchen is in the middle of the house, so I’ve increased my water intake by trying to take a drink each time I pass by the sink. Keep a glass beside the bathroom sink and make it a policy to drink a full 10 ounch glass each time you use the bathroom. Just, for your brain’s sake, don’t compromise on your fluid intake. Visit again to hear how spirituality can also tune-up your mind.

Choose Your Battles

This was a lesson taught to me tonight by my oldest child: Trying to squeeze a correct answer to a math question out of a yawning eight-year-old is like trying to run an engine without oil. The more you crank away trying to start her up, the more damage you do, to your psyche and to her confidence. It was killing me to know that she knew the correct answer and that her exhausted mind just couldn’t muster it. (It didn’t help that at least three other tasks beckoned while I took the time to help her.)

So, let’s talk about choosing your battles. Wouldn’t I have been better served (and my daughter) if I had just set our alarms for a little earlier in the morning and allowed her to do the problems on a freshly rested brain? Better yet, shouldn’t I have sat her down to the homework right after daycare before she turned into a bleary-eyed shell? I chose to battle her muddled brain and make her finish right before bedtime instead, and I’m afraid to say that I made extremely poor use of our time in doing so.

Let’s take another example. If you’ve worked a full day and you have laundry to do, but you also have five hundred words to write for your critique group by tomorrow, what are you going to fix for dinner? Suppose you had a roasted chicken leftover and you planned to stew it and make an elaborate soup out of the broth. Could that wait until tomorrow? Wouldn’t the better choice be to bake up a frozen pizza (which you should always have in reserve, by the way, if you’re a busy writer looking for ways to save time)? In this case, you’re choosing to save time on fixing dinner so that you can take care of other, more demanding, and equally valuable tasks. Sure, your dinner won’t be as healthy, tonight, but you’ll make up for it when you stew the chicken in the crockpot while you’re at work tomorrow. (Put carrot sticks and milk with the pizza–it’s not so bad, really!)

Think of choosing your battles like a mini prioritizing session: You have three hours left in the day. You have five tasks to complete. So as you look at your list (in your head, if you want–you don’t have to do this on paper), ask yourself these questions:

1) Which tasks are CRITICAL and MUST be completed?

2) Are there any tasks that can be accomplished by taking a shortcut?

3) Are there any tasks that can be put off?

4) If I put them off, can they be completed at a different time, without consequence?

Is your list clearer? Way to go. Now break out the helmet, the armor, and your biggest billy-club. It’s time to do battle, only now you know the smartest way to approach the battlefield. By the way, I’ve gotten side-tracked by life (as usual.) A couple of posts ago, I promised you a piece on brain-healthy nutrition. Join me next time as I get back to the body:brain connection, and talk more on developing your most-honed thinker.

Generate Creativity Through Exercise

Exercise is a magical thing that most of us do too little of. When we get moving, our body produces endorphins–chemicals that basically give you a natural high, and then the lasting effects on your muscles boost your metabolism. Simply put, you give your mind and body a high-pressure wash–enough to make you shine–and jump-start your creativity.

So how much exercise do you need to do to get this benefit? Studies have shown that as little as twenty minutes a day can be enough to boost your metabolism and support weight loss. Twenty minutes is the length of a shower (if you shave your legs.) Twenty minutes is the amount of time it takes me to clear the dinner table, hose off the kids, and do the dishes. It’s not much time, really, and most of us can find a way to fit this into our busy days, if we’re determined to do so. Decide that you will. If you can’t do it everyday, then combine your twenty minute sessions into five thirty minute sessions or three forty-five minute sessions. You decide.

Now that you’ve made up your mind to get moving, you need to decide what kind of exercise to do. In the book, “Finding Water,” Julia Cameron strongly advocates walking as the best creative mind boost for writers. Consider these gems of wisdom from her book: 

 

“Walking starts the writing engine humming….As casual as a walk may seem, profound wisdom can be its by-product.”

“Statesman Soren Kierkegaard phrased it this way, ‘Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it…’” 

 

Also, the beauty of walking is that it can be done just about anywhere. You can do laps around your office hallways or hoof it down a country lane. When I was working full-time with three little kids, the only time I had to walk was during my half-hour lunch. So I’d have a protein bar, a piece of fruit, and a glass of milk for lunch in-between patients, and I’d spend my precious half-hour beating the pavement around the hospital where I work. And I did the exercise because I was determined to do it. Decide that you’ll do it too.

If walking bores you or you need a little more challenge (or, say, you want to look like Governor Arnold or Kelly Ripa,) join a fitness center, get a personal trainer, or (as in my case) let your Nintendo Wii fitness instructor take you through the paces. Pick a plan that you can live with, that you can stick to for the long haul, and you’re on your way to giving your creative mind an infusion of a bunch of the good stuff it needs.

You’re learning how to feed your mind, now let’s feed your stomach. Look for the next post where I’ll talk about brain foods…

 

 

Procrastination

I’m writing about a subject near and dear today because I have the perfect writing scenario this afternoon and I have yet to write more than just this blog post and an email. Why, oh why, haven’t I opened up my novel file yet? The answer is simple, and I’m succumbing to one of the most crippling of all human frailties–procrastination.

Why do we procrastinate? Are people doomed in general to spaets of self-doubt and muddling paralysis? Is procrastination nothing more than an excuse to be lazy? Experts vary on the reason that we procrastinate, but the effort to overcome it should be universal. Time gets obliterated when you put things off.

If you’re putting something off, the first question you need to ask yourself is: What am I putting off? What is the task that you know you should be doing that you are unable to begin? For example, I know that I should be working on the next chapter of my novel. Once you answer this question, then the next is plain: Why am I putting off this task? The reasons might be very fundamental and you must examine them honestly, but when you do, you’ll be well on your way to figuring out what’s keeping you from your goals.

I know that I’m putting off writing the next chapter because this particular book is dark and I find the cloud I’m writing in to be all-consuming when I’m there. I’m also mastering a new point of view. All of this makes starting difficult, but the product is doubly rewarding. When I finish this novel, the accomplishment will be all that more poignant because of the tooth-grinding, soul-twisting gumption that it took to write it.

So, if you will excuse me for cutting this post short, I’m going to follow my own advice and go after my novel. Perhaps you should conquer your own procrastination demon too. We’ll cover more next time.

Multi-Tasking

Only a mother could know what it’s like to push a stroller, drink a latte, and hold a toddler juice all at the same time that she’s chattering on her Bluetooth and monitoring the movements of the two other children not confined to the stroller. Multi-tasking comes as naturally to busy moms as breathing. It is a means of survival. Multi-tasking can also be an effective way to add more time to your day, thus increasing the time you can dedicate to creative endeavors.

So how do you multi-task? If you’re already great at juggling, then you need no further re-training. But, for those of you who’d just as soon travel through your one-lane tunnel with no further disruption, then I suggest for time-saving purposes that you go through a self-guided inservice. Marco Marsan, one of America’s leading innovators, suggests in Think Naked that you give yourself a “Brain Wedgie” on a regular basis. Here is your Multi-Tasking “Brain Wedgie” exercise for today:

You’re already on your computer, so put some music on your Media Player and open up a news article on your homepage. Now stand up with your computer in hands (if it’s a laptop) or facing your desktop so you can still read the words. Now, put your hands on your hips (if they’re free) and move your right foot in a ‘heel-and-toe’ motion. Do this five times, then repeat with the left foot. (If you never had folk-dancing lessons in grade school, then I sincerely apologize for assuming that you know the ‘heel-and-toe’, but do your best.)

Keep reading, by the way. Do you realize that you are doing four things at once? (Listening, reading, dancing, holding a computer or your hips.) Way to go, Multi-Tasker! This is how it works. It isn’t easy, but you can rise to the challenge and you can get more done. Think of other ways to stretch your mind/body activities and you’ll be on your way to creating more time for yourself, everyday.

Something’s Gotta Give Theory

Okay, so this may not be a theory, as much as it is my mantra. There may be a week where my girls have a Christmas program, a class party, and I’ve been asked to put in an extra day at work. This could also be the same week when my son has deleted potty-training from his data banks, my husband has had an irrigation line burst, and I’ve managed to let an Everest-sized pile of laundry accumulate.

I’m still maintaining. Actually, this week still sounds pretty manageable.

But, then we discover that a long-absent cousin is coming to visit the ranch over the weekend and, better yet, I’m definitely coming down with a cold.

Something’s gotta give, right? The first rule for busy people ‘eeking’-out creative time is that you’ve got to be forgiving of yourself. You simply cannot do it all, all of the time. Creative time is meant to be fun, so don’t push it. That said, please visit again soon to find out how you can add more time for creativity in your life.