If you’re in business, then you’re in the business of making ideas.
How do you come up with good ideas on deadline, all day, every day?
It’s not just about keeping your Creative Fun Fountain spraying.
It’s also about managing stress and fear so you CAN feel creative. Since it’s physiologically impossible to be creative and afraid at the same time, getting creative means finding ways to cope with fear and stress.
I think I’ve discovered the closest thing to a miracle cure–and am starting a 30-day experiment to see how it works.
It’s difficult to measure my “before.” How do you count your good ideas and compare them with your bad ones? So, instead, I can only report the way I feel now. And, at the end of 30 days, I can report back. How creative did I feel? What kinds of connections did my brain make? Any epiphanies I’d care to share with the class?
Remember the gigantic trampolines we all loved as kids?
I grew up with what you might call a healthy exposure to them.
- I took gymnastics throughout elementary school, where we practiced our tumbles on a gigantic trampoline every day.
- Whenever my parents were at work, I’d pile up all the couch cushions and do running aerial somersaults off my mini-trampoline.
- The first short story I ever wrote–at age 5–involved a cherry doing somersaults over a goat.
- In 4th grade, I wrote an essay about my favorite present ever, which was–you guessed it–a mini-trampoline.
- I frequently dream about flying.
- I would have become a trapeze artist, but I was always terrible at gymnastics.
These days, I spend most of my time in a chair, reading small type on a computer screen, living and making my living in my head.
I love writing just a wee bit more than I love trampolines, so it’s worked out okay.
But what would happen to my head if my body started moving?
I’m not talking about just exercise. I’ve been running and lifting weights since junior high. I’m talking about the kind of movement where you lose control of your body for a few moments, until gravity takes over and brings you back down.
I’m talking about furious Tiggeresque bouncin’.
I’m talking about trampolines!
Astronauts swear by them. And, well, I just bought one. As usual, inspiration came by way of my dear friend Havi Brooks, who recently wrote about her business-altering experience with a trampoline.
My new trampoline feels like the gigantic trampolines I used to have as a kid, only smaller. Small enough to fit nicely into my studio apartment. It gives me a soft, incredibly bouncy bounce–with my head just inches from hitting the ceiling. Possibility of serious injury in my own apartment? I like this!
So, my experiment attempts to measure the following:
What happens when I substitute tramping for my usual 10-minute break activities? For 30 days in a row?
Instead of the internet, instead of Twitter, instead of making myself a snack: I will tramp.
TRAMP TRAMP TRAMP TRAMP out the blues. Tramp out the reds. Tramp out the yellows, the oranges. Just tramp it out.
I have to say, after just three days of tramping, I feel pretty amazing.
I can’t put it down to exercise, because I’ve been exercising already.
There’s something going on at a cellular level.
Oddly, the trampoline both calms and elates me. I’ve only had 6 hours of sleep for three nights in a row and I feel fine. That’s unusual for me.
I’m curious what happens after a few days of these endorphin rushes.
Will I need more and more time on the trampoline just to feel normal again?
And, what happens if, in addition to tramping every day, I’m also:
- Practicing 10 minutes of Shiva Nata daily (also courtesy Havi Brooks). This is the epiphany-generating dance-like thingy that I have YET to really stick with. OK, I’m ready for my epiphany now.
- Writing on a Moleskin with a pen, because I like it. Although writing on paper is slower than writing on a computer, my theory is that because I enjoy it, I’ll get better business benefits by having better ideas, which leads to more revenue. Since I don’t bill by the hour, it doesn’t really matter how long it takes. When I get good ideas, everyone wins.
For a long time now, I’ve put off doing enjoyable things because they weren’t business-related.
Now, I’m finding a business purpose in the enjoyable.
Delight, joy, humor, pleasure. These things that don’t require discipline are somehow minimized.
But maybe we’re tired of doing things we’re supposed to want to do.
Maybe we just want to do the things we WANT to.
And maybe–just maybe–the business purpose is even greater there?
And, if everyone is enjoying life a little bit more, does it really matter?
Want to start your own 30-day experiment?
Or, want to test drive a trampoline? Show some comment love and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Expeditions in progress:
Dig up more good stuff:
17 Comments
I’m so inspired now, my brain is bouncing all on it’s own. I’m not going to run out and buy a trampoline right now, but I will commit to finding a way to make my brain bounce daily (without bashing it) for one month. When I come up with a method for my own brand of creative madness, I will blog about it and link to you.
Tigger is my new terribly important role model.
That sounds like EXACTLY what I need right now!
This is a brilliant idea. Just be careful not to hit the ceiling!
I have horrible handwriting and use computers “all the time” — and I’m sure you understand that means “far too much.” But I find that I do my best copywriting by hand, on paper, at least for the first draft. The embodied way of writing seems to encourage the emergence of better prose, and you can do it anywhere. Give it a try and let us know if there is any kind of change in your writing.
I’d love to know what to look for in a small in-house tramp. Can you find them online?
Uh….YES PLEASE! Do share the trampoline link, that sounds like so much fun, and just the thing to combat freelancer-butt-melding-with-office-chair
Wheee!
Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce!
Tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp!
Totally the best thing I’ve done for my business, in all sorts of weird ways. Though man, took me forever to buy one. I love how you got the idea and just went for it. You are my hero.
Finding a business purpose in the enjoyable… very well put!
I recently discovered that laughter and absolute silliness were my favourite warm-up before a brainstorming session. It seems to fire up my brain on many levels. Besides, when you are completely relaxed, even a little exhausted from laughing so much, you don’t hold back- you just blurt out your crazy ideas and sometimes, brilliance ensues…
@Diane: I can’t wait to see what other brain-bouncing tactics you discover. You know, for an excellent bounce monkeys swear by, there’s always the mattress. I also hear the space travel is an excellent de-stresser.
@Joely: Since you’re in the UK, you could probably get it straight from the company. They’re German, called Bellicon. Us North-American mortals have to have it shipped from a place in the U.S.
@David Interesting–I have horrible handwriting too, but I can usually tell what I wrote by just looking at the first letter. Will definitely let you know how this turns out.
@Lisa Yes! See below!
@Eileen. Ah, the old butt-melded-with-office-chair syndrome? I remember those days. Four days ago, before my tramp. Just a warning: the trampoline I bought was not cheap, but already it’s paying for itself in increased productivity, I can tell you!
@Havi Wow, and now you can take credit for helping my business, too! Your blog without a point ended up being incredibly helpful.
@Emmanuelle That’s so true–laughter and relaxation go hand in hand, and at least half of all blurted-out ideas are really, really good ones.
OK, details on where I got my bungee trampoline:
I got mine from a wonderful lady who lives in El Cerrito, CA. Her name is Sylvia, and she’s the only distributor in the U.S. for this German trampoline company.
Her website is here: http://qibounding.com.
If you click on the link on the home page, it takes you to her new website, where you can compare her trampolines with the other ones on the market. You can also take a quiz to see which of HER trampolines fits you.
The other major trampoline company’s website kind of skeeved me out–but hers was very reassuring and helpful.
—–OH! And if you DO decide to buy one of her tramps, tell her Kelly sent you! She’ll help me pay for my trampoline if I send enough people her way.—-
A trampoline is a fun way to get into a creative, embodied, playful flow! Great idea.
You can also just move your body spontaneously, anytime and anywhere. The best book I’ve found on this (out of print but still used copies abound) is The Energy Break by Bradford Keeney. He calls this practice “autokinetics” and relates it to little-known energy practices from Japan and around the world.
Duff, thanks for the book recommendation! It sounds really cool. Why are the coolest books always out of print?
After hearing this from Havi and now from you, I am tempted. Or at least, I would be if I had some pennies. I still can’t quite believe that there could be such a perfect solution: stirs creativity up *and* makes you exercise *and* stops snacking? Wow… For now I will have to still with taking a shower – works well for creative thinking for both writing and fixing bugs in code, do you find the same?
As for why are the coolest books out of print… maybe something to do with the gulf between profitability and the old school of publishing not being able to find a book’s ‘right people’. I’m not expressing that well – had a hard day writing user documentation and the bit of my writer brain that does ultra-clear expression is clearly wrung out. Oh for a trampline right here and now!
P.S. I saw your advert on Havi’s site a while ago and was oh so tempted. You rock!
Emma, I totally have my best ideas in the shower. But it’s frustrating, because unless you have a special shower notebook and a special shower pen, there’s no way to capture your ideas. I always forget them.
Pre-trampoline, I found when I REALLY want to have good ideas, sitting alone in my car does the job. I just take my notebook and pen and sit in the drivers seat by myself. No distractions. Try it! You might have some seriously shower-worthy ideas. Maybe even trampoline-worthy ideas. (Just don’t drive around–then you can’t write everything down. Unless you’re recording yourself.)
I hope your brain is now de-fried–which sounds too much like deep-fried. Definitely don’t want you brain to be deep fried. Let me know how the car experiment works out–and if you don’t have a car, I suppose a bus stop might do.
KP
I tried a stationary car, but my urge to drive off trampled over my delicate daisy-like ideas.
I find when I drive I think through mundane stuff well – issues at work etc. And I daydream well, but nothing original or very creative.
We need waterproof voice activated dictaphones that stick on the shower cubicle! Those ideas are like wet soap, so I have to spend the rest of the shower holding the first one gently so it doesn’t fly off, then I can’t think of other things too.
Somewhere recently I came across a quote about creativity coming from internal spaciousness. That certainly resonates – stress and pressure make inside feel like a cramped room. Maybe that’s what the trampoline does for you – the physical freedom translates into internal space on some level, so all those ideas have room to grow. Sorry to burble on here! I’m going now.
Emma, that’s so true about the spaciousness thing. Wow, you must have written that comment in the shower, with your waterproof voice-activated dictaphone. Feel free to burble on here anytime!
This is great! I need to hit a yard sale and pick up one of these trampolines. Sounds like vestibular stimulation benefical for adults, rock on!
Love the idea of the trampoline! I know my kids will get lots of use out of it, too, as we used to have a mini-tramp (from Aldi’s in Germany, no less!). Did you put that as an office supply?? I wonder if a jump-rope would work as well, though I am not nearly coordinated enough to jump as long as on a trampoline.
Leslie, I wish I could put my tramp as an office supply! If only the IRS was as enlightened as you are.
I don’t think a jump-rope would work as well–but jumping on the bed might. There’s something in the bouncy action of the springs that makes your cells dance around. Or so I’ve been told.
Even my dogs love it. So your kids definitely will.
KP