Like most Americans, I don't just drink coffee, I drink copious amounts of coffee because I am usually running on very few hours of sleep. From time to time, I find myself suffering from writer's block, procrastination, and yes, even sleep deprivation. Never mind the correlation between my sleep patterns and my coffee consumption--that's not the point of this blog post. Instead of beating yourself up about getting only three hours of sleep, I challenge you to free write your way to problem solve, brainstorm, and meditate.
Sometimes just the right amount of sleep deprivation and caffeine ignite just the right synapses and challenge you to look at the world a little differently (and may even help you solve a problem that has been bothering you for a while.) This exercise works best when your eyelids are heavy and your heart is racing, you are teetering between dreamland and reality, and you can't seem to think "straight" any longer. This is the perfect time to hash out what's been swirling around in that head of yours.
Brew yourself a big pot of your strongest coffee, put on one of the three songs below, power up your MacBook Air, and let your phalanges flow. Try not to censor yourself, the most important thing here is to allow your brain the freedom to work its magic. Let yourself get caught up in the music, avoid using the "delete" button, and keep typing. Type until the song is over. If you still have more to say--put on another song, and then another. There is no right amount of time you can spend doing this nor is there a desired length to reach. At the end of your session, don't bother trying to make sense of the words on the page. Instead focus on how much lighter you feel, how much more focused you are, and how much more relaxed your breathing is. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish after you have completed one of these free-writing sessions.
By giving your brain permission to work its magic, you can sit back and free flow, free write, dump (if you will) the emotions, stresses, confusions, onto your hard drive. Below I have compiled 3 songs that will help nudge your subconscious in the right direction.
-Nicole Paulus, Nico New Media
Image Credit: Freewriting by Miles Wickham
Milk by Moderat
Slo by Giraffage
My Only Swerving by El Ten Eleven
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