I was working on the last blog post this afternoon, and after finishing it I decided I needed a break before I started working on my developing site. But I still felt a little motivated, and didn’t want to lose that feeling, so I decided to do a fast clean of my bathroom. (I’ve found my productiviy wanes considerably in the afternoon.) I got out the supplies and started working.
You know what I found after 10 minutes of cleaning? Even though I was working and getting other things done, the mindless labor helped me to focus on the project ahead. I was able to clarify what I needed to work on, and visualized what it would take for each action step I needed done today. The bathroom cleaning helped me get my mind working on the next project, while doing something else.
This goes along with the wandering mind principle, but my brain really wasn’t wandering. I was focusing it on the upcoming task I had laid out in front of me. So here’s the tip: Shift gears between projects and do something completely unrelated and easy for about 10 minutes. This will let your mind sort through what needs to be done next in your projects, and give you a change of scenery.