Bedside Notebook

Last week, guest lecturer Jay suggested keeping a small book next to your bed to capture any ideas that come into the mind while in bed. I have been doing this for a week now and it has been beneficial. I often have nights where I cannot fall asleep because my mind is racing and overthinking. Therefore, keeping a notebook next to my bed has helped to free up my mind and keep track of all thoughts and ideas that previously I had been worried about forgetting.

My overactive mind allows the stress of having too much to do or the fear of forgetting something to hijack a good night’s sleep. I find that writing down all the things I am yet to get done can help me feel less overwhelmed and on top of it by making myself a plan of action.

It is often the case that I am lying in bed and an idea comes in to my head or a thought about an area of research that would be interesting to discover more about. I get some of my most creative thoughts and ideas while in bed. This is possibly because my conscious brain during the day has control and is typically very rational. Whereas when I sleep, sub consciousness overrides, without the conscious mind interfering, thus allowing ideas to flow more easily. It could also be as a result of stepping away from the task and allowing my brain to stop actively thinking, rather than sitting for a long period of time trying to come up with an answer to what I am trying to achieve.

This week, I have written ideas for a name for our project which we ended up using and also possible changes to my current business card design.

This has showed me the importance of removing myself from a situation to allow my brain to subconsciously ponder over creative options and ideas. I am going to start giving my brain more time away from my desk to hopefully allow ideas to flow more freely.

Rachel