Stuck?: The 45-second Flow Refresher

One of the most common problems in writing a dissertation is..well…writing.

I don’t need to be telling you that, eh?

Sometimes you’re working away, trying to meet that deadline, but just can’t get engaged with the beastie.

Or you run into a block and ++ frustration about how to get past it.

Well, I happened to run into what Havi Brooks, at the Fluent Self, promises is a 45-second solution to getting your Flow re-started.

I’ll share the essence of it, but do go and read her whole article on Solving the “but I just don’t time!” problem at her blog. (Besides, her blog is totally fun and right on target. ;-)

And do share whether this technique worked for you! I’m dying to hear how it works out (it got me doing this post, so maybe….?)

Getting back into flow: a 45-second exercise

Take your index and middle fingers as if they were velcroed together, and start tapping gently underneath your nose, right at the funny little indentation there. Try and breathe consciously.

Release tension in your jaw. Maybe even open your mouth and move your jaw around a little. Imagine that you can soften your forehead and smooth it out. Drop your shoulders.

Say to yourself, “I am allowed to not want to take this pause. It’s okay that I just want to keep going. I’m just going to take a minute — one minute — to see if I can’t get back into flow. Even though things are stuck for me right now, I am willing to release any stuck parts that I can. I am willing and ready to let things start moving again. I am ready to catch the next wave.”

Keep tapping. Close your eyes and yawn three times, as loudly as you can get away with.

Stick out your tongue and make a face.

That’s it. Go back to working on the thing (you know, the thing). Take this break whenever things are heading towards stuck.