Holding onto a Thought

It is one of those days. You have grand intentions of what you want to write about, you've thought it through, and thought it through again, and seriously think you have a whole post planned! Then you sit down at the computer and nothing comes out. Oh don't get me wrong, stuff comes out, but not anything anyone wants to read about. (image: AllSoul.net)

I find it hard on days where I have mush brain. It's like I have the best intentions, I know I knew what I wanted to write about... but do you think I can even remember part of it. At some point in the next few days (or hours even) I'll remember the whole thing I had planned in my head! Then I will write it, because I'll probably have time to write it at that point, but for now you get this...

So what can we do about it?? What are the tricks you use to keep yourself on task??

I have tried a few and haven't found much success in any of them, but I'd love to hear about how you do it.

I have done the notebooks (physical and virtual) that I keep on me. I make them pretty (mostly because any excuse to have books and paper is a good excuse) and I carry them with me... I keep one in my kitchen and in the living room near the kids. I also keep a tiny one in my purse. I tend to use them religiously for a few weeks.... then I falter, just like New Years Resolutions (which is why I don't usual make concrete ones). When I falter I get frustrated, but I try and keep using them. Heck I still have some around. But I never find they become a natural thing for me.

I think my issue is that I am usually planning when I'm sitting in the rocking chair trying to put my kids to bed or down for a nap. Or I'm walking to or from the school with my two year old in a sled or a stroller. Or I'm driving somewhere to visit people. Either way none of these situations allow for a good solution to jot down your thoughts.

I appoligize straight out. Usually when someone starts one of these types of posts they are trying to sell you something or give you a solution. Well I don't have one. There is no solution I can think of that would make it reasonable to get these ideas out so that they don't disipate into the ether.

Sometimes, very rarely. I will hold onto the idea long enough that it will become a recurring idea (kind of like a recurring dream). The thought will come at a few moments so that sooner or later I manage to write down the thought in one variation or another.

The best option I find is just repeating it until I find the time to write it down on something. But then sometimes you go back to the writing and say to yourself... okay, now where was I going with this??

So to all you people with disappearing thoughts and ideas... YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You are one of many an artistic person who can't seem to find time in life to slow down enough to get a thought on paper. That is alright. Do not rage against it... do not fuss and cry and pout... and definitely don't let the frustration and anger get the best of you. All you can do is keep moving and realize that if the idea is meant to be in your head... if this is something important that you really need to do... then sooner or later it will come back often enough until, when you do have quite time, you can get it out. You can spread it on paper, put it in a journal, or collage it on a board! However you get it out, to get in into the universe at large. It will happen....

Until then!
Keep on, Geekin' on
Angie