Clarity Strategic^TM

There once was a team of circus janitors who, tired of cleaning up after the elephant, decided to plug him up with a giant cork. Well, of course, the constipated elephant became ill. But none of the janitors wanted to pull that cork. They finally enlisted a monkey to do it. The brave monkey pulled that cork, and when the smoke cleared...

...one janitor was covered up to the knee. He dug himself out and then helped dig out the one buried up to the neck. Then they dug out the one who was completely submerged. This last guy was laughing! "What's so funny?" they said. "You should've seen the monkey try to put that cork back in!"

Sometimes, what I have is a bit of "corked elephant syndrome." It's not a simple case of writer's block. It's more like "living human being's block." I can eat, drink, breathe (for the most part - it IS allergy season), and (unlike the elephant) use the bathroom. But most of the rest of my functions - everything voluntary, especially if it involves choices, and even more especially if it's creative - it's all blocked up. (Please don't send me a monkey.)

Sometimes, when this happens, I go to a "third place." Many knowledge workers, especially those who have full or partial telecommutes, do this. There's something about the atmosphere, right? Smell of the coffee, nice clean surroundings that I don't have to KEEP clean, interesting conversations all around me that I don't have to contribute to - it's all good!

But now, here we are, in a lousy economy that has BEEN lousy for four years or so, and the price of gas is reaching heights many of us have seldom seen. I dunno about you, but I think about these things, and I'm finding it harder to justify the gas to and from my favorite third place, and the Earl Grey (and maybe a bagel) I'll enjoy while I'm there. If I can't get myself to do that, I won't rent a coworking space either.

So I'll serve the telecommute at home. But home doesn't always enable me to unlock myself. What does? I asked around. And one good and wise friend - whose identity I don't have permission to reveal - gave me this genius scenario:

• Make some coffee. (I don't drink it myself, but the smell is important.)
• Make a cup for yourself. Not just the stuff I would normally drink at home, but the stuff I would order at the third place. In my case, Earl Grey.
• Put on the music they'd play there, or something similar. (I don't like their music much, but the idea isn't to sing along.) I usually go with DJ Fatha Ramzee's POW! Mixtape. You can sing or move along with it, or not, but it's your choice and not so much the music's.
• Make sure your workplace has a comfortable seat. But not so comfortable that I'd fall asleep.
• Make sure the workplace is warm. But not so warm that I'd fall asleep.
• This is the most important thing: put up a bleedin' sign. Even if nobody else is there. "Do Not Disturb." It makes me serious.
• One other friend suggests the cherry on top: go full-blast 20 minutes, come what may. If focus doesn't kick in, then take 20 for a walk or a phone call or something away from the work. Then repeat until done.

This is me, making a commitment to this for two weeks. Hoping to lose that cork. So tell me: when your creativity is all blocked up, what do you do?

[NOTE] Signs are promising. I wrote THIS after I made that commitment. LOL