Stress-Free Brainstorming for Creatives
Maybe brainstorming is easy for you and you don’t have a problem with coming up with ideas, and your only problem is choosing one to follow through on.
On the other hand, maybe the idea of brainstorming feels stressful to you.
You never seem to have enough ideas
You censor yourself as you’re writing so you don’t get anywhere
You can write hundreds of ideas and never find one that you like
You wind up with a handful of ideas and then get stuck in overthinking
You find brainstorming stressful
I hear all of these with my private coaching clients.
Tip: Save this blog post for the next time you have a big brainstorming project.
But first, do this…
Look at your calendar and decide if brainstorming is even a good use of your energy right now.
If you have a cycle, look at that. If you don’t, look to the moon. Have both? Keep an eye on both.
Brainstorming activities will feel easiest when you’re in the follicular phase of your menstrual cycle or the moon is in the waxing phase. I share more details on how I take an unfussy and intuitive approach to content planning in this article.
You know those times when you’re flooded with ideas?
You have so much inspiration you bounce around like a nut-loving squirrel from one shiny object to another, hoping that something will stick.
And maybe even getting frustrated with yourself for feeling so “flighty” or “air-headed” — this is the time of the cycle (yours and the moon’s) when you’re going to have all the downloads in the shower.
Make the most of this time and block off some brainstorming time each day for the week, or take a chunk of time when you’re most scattered and use it to dream, plan, and let all the ideas about all the things fall out onto the page.
Now that you’ve chosen the best time for you to do the brainstorming, here are some stress-free ways to do it.
Grab a timer, or download a Pomodoro browser extension. Pomodoro sprints are 25 minutes. Set a 25-minute timer and brainstorm on one topic or a few — as many as possible, no editing, judging, censoring — get them out
Set the stage by listening to your favorite song first. Dance around, lay on the floor just listening to the song. Then, when it’s over, it’s time to write
Choose a song or melody and write with it, playing on repeat. I did this when I wrote my first mini-book — ”Believe” by Mumford and Sons. The song was a cue to get going.
If you’re better at taking your ideas out, then grab a talk-to-text app (otter is my go-to), press record, and let it riff
Look at pictures using the keywords of your brainstormed topic. I use DuckDuckGo (because no tracking or data selling) — go to images and then look at the pictures to inspire. Wherever I do this, I never know what’ll come up — it always unlocks something.
If you’re visual — also take your brainstorming session to Pinterest
Work on your brainstorm in a fun and vibrant location.
What to do with your brainstormed list
Look at all these ideas! It’s so exciting! There are so many ideas that you don’t know where to start.
STOP.
For real. Press pause, walk away from your screen and put your notebook down.
Leave your brainstorm for a while and then let the ideas marinate. They need time to sink in and work their magic. This is part of the invisible work that, to the rest of the world, looks like you’re not doing anything.
Beneath the surface, your unconscious mind is rolling around those ideas in your head.
Then, come back to your brainstorm after a break. Eat lunch, take a walk, or even let your brainstorm sit for a week or two and come back to your ideas under a full moon (let the light shine more information on something you couldn’t see).
What not to do: Share your brainstorm in a bunch of random Facebook groups asking for feedback or worse, outsourcing your decision to the crowd.
Which ideas light YOU up?
Which brainstormed topics get you excited?
Which ones feel scary? What’s behind that fear? Fear of success or being visible?
It takes practice, and over time, brainstorming can feel like a fun and creative activity. And anything that’s fun and creative, you’ll find the flow in.
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