Thinking is hard work. That’s why we get paid well to do it. But sometimes, we don’t know what to think or what to do about a problem.
That’s when I grab a piece of paper and a pen or sit down at the computer and write what’s going on in my head.
I write down what I know. I write down the problem and some ideas or options for solving it. I write down what I want or what I want to change.
I write a list of steps. I draw a mind map. I write an outline. Or a list of pros and cons.
When I don’t know what to write, I write a stream-of-consciousness screed. Yep, I vent on paper. I bitch and complain and curse and I keep doing that until I run out of steam and start coming up with something useful.
Sometimes, I put the page or document aside and come back to it later. Sometimes, I never figure it out.
But thinking on paper usually helps me sort things out. At least until I decide I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, throw out the page and start over.
C’est la vie.
