Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to switch to play mode whenever you're
Speaker 1: feeling stuck. This tip comes from a blog post by
Speaker 1: Jake Knapp, who is the co author John Zeratski of
Speaker 1: the book Make Time Nap. Describes a time when he
Speaker 1: was spinning his wheels while working on an illustration. Since
Speaker 1: he wasn't really getting anything done, he decided to just
Speaker 1: goof off for an hour. He would switch into play mode.
Speaker 1: He told himself that nothing he did for the next
Speaker 1: hour would matter, and he wouldn't try to make it matter.
Speaker 1: He writes that I set a timer. I made about
Speaker 1: fifteen rough sketches. Then the hour was up and I
Speaker 1: hadn't gotten it right, but I'd broken the ice and
Speaker 1: I was in the zone, so I kept working. Thirty
Speaker 1: minutes later, I got an illustration I'm happy with, and
Speaker 1: the whole thing was fun rather than stressful. Play mood worked.
Speaker 1: Now I'm not surprised. When the stakes seem high, we're
Speaker 1: unwilling to try things, and that can make us feel paralyzed.
Speaker 1: But when something's just for fun, we take little risks.
Speaker 1: We experiment. When something doesn't work, we think oh well,
Speaker 1: rather than oh no. But every experiment gives us information
Speaker 1: that can be useful in the long run, and that
Speaker 1: can ultimately lead to better work. This is the advice
Speaker 1: coaches often give to other creative sorts who feel blocked.
Speaker 1: Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way prescribes writing morning pages,
Speaker 1: a few pages of anything you feel like writing, with
Speaker 1: no judgments. And there won't be much brilliance in those pages,
Speaker 1: but there might be a nugget of something interesting you
Speaker 1: can explore later, and progress is motivational. Of course, plenty
Speaker 1: of people put off work by going into pseudo play
Speaker 1: mode in non productive ways. Checking your email is not
Speaker 1: going to inspire the creative freedom that can get you
Speaker 1: out of being stuck. And unless you have very carefully
Speaker 1: curated your Instagram or Twitter feed to include only gorgeous
Speaker 1: images or inspirational quotes, you're probably not going to tap
Speaker 1: into that relaxed spirit that nudges you forward by looking
Speaker 1: at social media. Either play mode means goofing off while
Speaker 1: still doing something resembling the stuff of your work. You're
Speaker 1: creating something, it's just something you're totally willing to discard
Speaker 1: if it doesn't work out. But if you consciously lower
Speaker 1: the stakes this way, you just might find yourself able
Speaker 1: to do what you hadn't before. So today, if you're
Speaker 1: feeling stuck, stop and set a timer. Work on something
Speaker 1: you find inherently interesting or fun. Don't criticize, just do.
Speaker 1: I'm guessing when the buzzer goes off that you'll feel better.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H