Hello again from the land of lockdown in Melbourne. Things are getting serious down here.
Usually ideas for this weekly blog flow thick and fast. Eventually one idea nestles itself nicely in my head and heart and starts to take shape. Before I know it, my fingers are flying across the keyboard and the story is written.
Yesterday however, as I sat at my desk to tap out this week’s blog, nothing came to me. I’m not sure if it was writer’s block or COVID-brain. Probably a weird combo of both. Not even sure how one tells the difference anyway?
Normally when this happens, I pull on my boots and take a long walk by the river to immerse myself in nature. It’s my cure for creative stagnation. Sadly, that wasn’t an option as I’d already used up my allotted hour of exercise for the day.
Here’s what I did instead.
I sat in my comfortable reading chair with Dark Emu (a must read for the truth about our pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians). After three pages, I glanced to the right and noticed my windows were filthy, so I put the book down and went in search of my window-cleaning weaponry and got to cleaning.
Half way through cleaning, the kitchen came into my line of sight. The bench was filled with bottles, cups and plates left there by my messy son. Within no time the window-cleaning was abandoned and the bench was cleared.
Now I was peckish. (At least I told myself I was, but I definitely wasn’t.) A packet of peanuts later I really needed a coffee, so I hightailed it to my local café wondering if that was legit given I’d already ventured out that morning.
Back home after the coffee, I watered all the plants on my balcony before finishing off the windows. By now the sun was almost over the yardarm, so I poured myself a glass of red wine and opened a newly purchased deck of cards to play Solitaire (a game I’ve not played for at least 20 years!)
Before I knew it, it was 10pm and this blog had remained unwritten. It would have been easy to chastise myself for not doing it. Instead, I went to bed grateful that I’d had a choice, particularly when so many people have no choice right now.
Next time this happens, I might just try dancing, meditation or yoga and get right back to my desk. Or I might just go with the flow, do the exact same thing and enjoy every moment. What about you? What do you do when COVID-brain or creative blocks hit? I’d love to know.
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With love
PS If you missed my recent podcast Conversations on The Coronation. Listen here
About me: I’m a Purpose Educator and author of The Purpose Project. I help leaders attract and retain the best people by harnessing the power of deep purpose and storytelling. I do this through The Purpose Project for Companies, a customised consultative process for co-creating a new purpose statement and The Purpose Project Course, a 7-step online course to help employees bring their own why to work.