There are times when we’re not in the mood to work on something. Even if we’ve allotted ourselves a window of time to be creative, our mind simply isn’t there. It’s as if there is a dichotomy between our mind and body–a separation of wills.
There are many reasons why we might not be in the mood. It could be that something is on our mind, or we might be tired or hungry, etc. Our mood could be the result of biochemical reasons, as well as circumstantial ones. We might be upset or stressed about something, or another idea has taken ahold of our mind.
If I’m not in the mood to write, I won’t even fight it. I’ll give myself a break and come back to my computer when I’m ready and decompressed. I know if I’m trying to work on something when I’m not in the mood, it’s an uphill battle. It’ll get a lot less done than if I had waited to work on it later.
To turn my mood around, I might eat something or grab a cup of coffee. I might even take a walk to allow whatever I’m feeling or is on my mind to ride out so that I can focus again. Sometimes that is all it takes.
But when there is something pressing to address, I usually attend to that first before I start writing. It’s important to keep our priorities straight, to address the things on the top of the list first before we start being creative. It’s always a good thing to have a clear mind so that we can give our full attention to the creative process.
Fallton Havenstonne 