I had 25 minutes before heading to a meeting. I wanted to brainstorm a few ideas for my writing project. My goal wasn’t to finish anything or even to start. Just to jot down a few thoughts, to jumpstart my next writing session.
As I started making notes, one idea led to another. By the time 25 minutes had passed, two whole sections were outlined in detail. I was reminded that we can make great progress when we don’t pressure ourselves to make any progress.
We writers often think we need big time blocks to work on our projects. We try to create uninterrupted time and space. We want the perfect conditions for focused writing.
That’s great when we have that time and space available. But sometimes we can’t make that time and space happen, and we keep delaying our writing. We miss out on no-pressure, easier-to-access, shorter periods of time between other events.
In my 25-minute window, I didn’t set out to finish two sections. I just wanted to take some time for thought and reflection. Just a little light brainstorming to get things going. Because the pressure was off, ideas began to flow freely. I didn’t have expectations for that time. I was willing to see where it led—much further than I would have thought.
When we’re working on a writing project, our minds are percolating in the background. When we take a few moments to check in on that process, we can catch ideas that come to the surface. They’ve been brewing all along—we’re just making ourselves available to hear and jot them down. That’s the power of short, no-pressure brainstorming.
Try this: The next time you have 20-30 minutes, jot down a few thoughts about your project. No pressure, no expectations, just being available. See where it leads. You might come up with a few ideas that move your project ahead. And you may get further than you expected.
You don’t need to wait for those large writing blocks that are often hard to carve out. You don’t need the perfect space and writing conditions. Just grab a few available minutes and give yourself a chance to capture some thoughts. Those in-between times can really move your project forward. When you do get a quiet block of time, you’ll have a great head start.
Janet Eriksson 