How To Satisfy Your Muse And Your Boss At The Same Time

Why do I get my best ideas while I’m at the office? I have a report to get out by the end of the day and someone wants a business process for a four o’clock meeting, but here comes a great idea for a post
or
The solution to that plot problem in my next novel is suddenly just crying out to be recognised.

Creativity is capricious

Creativity is often like that. If you put time aside to work on your next writing project–set the scene, a pleasant space, a cup of coffee, a whole five hours of uninterrupted writing time–likely as not you won’t be able to come up with a thing.
Then next day at work when the pressure’s on to get things done your mind is suddenly full of great ideas that are jostling for attention.

When ideas just won’t lie down

Fortunately, electronic sytems provide us with lots of different options for getting information down fast and keeping it someplace safe. Here’s a summary of the different options I use to make my life easier and to make sure the creative muse doesn’t get sacrificed to my day job.

Create a ‘to do’ list
Make journal entries
Use social networking sites

Create a ‘to do’ list

There are many electronic options for setting up lists, not the least of which might be a simple Word document with bullet points. However, simpler still is my favourite online to do list and task manager Todoist.

Todoist has an easy, intuitive interface that helps me get organized in a hurry. I can set up lists as projects, for example, for ideas related to a number of different writing tasks, and record them on separate pages. I can also record sub-projects that support my main ideas, then rearrange or collapse them as I go.

I’m often surprised at how clear and relevant these ideas are when I return to them later. I make a point of regularly reviewing my lists to make sure I don’t forget that brilliant inspiration that came to me in the middle of a busy working day.

Make journal entries

I use my electronic journal throughout the day to record those random thoughts that seem monumentally important and just refuse to go away. I could use a hard-drive filing system, but an office PC, although restricted by passwords, just doesn’t feel really private. If I want to express my deepest feelings or explore ideas for creative projects my electronic journal running from my USB key is by far the best option.
A free trial of the software I use is downloadable here from DavidRM. The Journal . I especially like the fact that I can record thoughts for each day, or set up ongoing threads as separate categories that I can add to and expand as my ideas grow.
There’s also something comforting about having a private and personal cache of my ideas that I can refer to at any time.

Use social networking sites

Sites like Twitter and Facebook are far from private, but they are generally accessible in the workplace. Many organisations today recognise the value of employees being able to take short breaks during long hours at the computer. Let’s face it, Twitter is really a global water cooler, a place where everyone can stop by for a quick chat.

I use Twitter as a quick escape from the tasks I’m focusing on, and the stimulation from others online often sparks creative ideas I may not have otherwise come up with in the general scrum of daily activity. Then later, when I want to develop these ideas, I can refer back to my Twitter profile and review the sequence of tweets that got me started.

So in summary…

Your best ideas often come out of the blue when you least expect them. Start making lists and notes, and use electronic tools to map your creativity and wrestle those random thoughts to the ground.