I have a deadline. A self-imposed deadline, but a deadline nonetheless. I need to have drafted my reporting for my research project by tomorrow evening. It is during these times I can struggle to find and maintain the calm.
Finding the calm is about having (and maintaining) a clear mind when faced with time pressures to accomplish something. Finding the calm means a possession of clarity of thought and the ability to write what it is you set out to write. Finding the calm is chipping away at a large task or a list of tasks, focusing on one thing (or paragraph) at a time and not allowing the worry to rise within self.
Finding the calm means having faith in a steady pace and the progress that is made. But most importantly, for me, finding the calm headspace maintains a level of confidence in myself and my ability to pull together the snippets of thoughts and ideas, some on post its on my desk that had come to me at a time effortlessly, when there was little pressure to do so.
Some of my strategies for finding the calm are:
- making myself a cuppa.
- creating a list of tasks, small and well defined, so at least that thinking is done and I don’t have to revisit what I need to do.
- music, usually jazz or classical, something that won’t distract my mind away from the task. Lyrics don’t agree with this kind of writing.
- journalling – doesn’t have to be my writing journal, just a scrap of paper to scribble a few words.
On that note, I’m due to make a cuppa. 🙂
