Braincalm

In an earlier post, we discussed how to run a brainstorming meeting. Brainstorming meetings are best done with lots of people and quick bursts of ideas and idea fragments from all participants. Braincalming is the opposite of this. You have to do this alone. It has to be done in an uninterrupted period of solitude.

The best time to do this is in the morning, ideally during a morning run. Get outside at 6am and start running. Don’t sprint. Keep this purely aerobic. Run at a pace that you can do without trying. Don’t listen to any music. Focus on moving one foot at a time. Focus on breathing. Think only about your next stride. Clear your mind. Focus on breathing correctly. Breathe deeply using your diaphragm. Breathe in rhythm to your stride. Think only of this.

Do this until you start to feel separated from your run. You will find a certain peaceful calm. Not like a still lake, but more like floating in a void. This is braincalm. This is an ideal state for clear thinking. Toss a single problem into this void, something you haven’t been able to resolve, something that you’ve been wrestling with for a while. Don’t think about this problem. Just let it sit there disturbing the void.

Refocus on breathing in rhythm to your stride. Concentrate on moving one foot in front of the other. Breathe with your diaphragm. At some point, your mind will leap in with an insight. You’ll see an aspect of the problem you haven’t considered before. You’ll see the problem in a different way. Some part of your mind will gather fragments of solutions and assemble them for you.

Once you’ve reached this state, keep focused on your idea. Hold it in your mind until the end of your run. As soon as you stop, write down as much as you can. Sketch out the key ideas. Summarize your key insights. Do this before you do anything else because as soon as you start your normal routine, these ideas vanish.