“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it,” John Steinbeck declared.
Have you ever gone to sleep puzzling over a problem, and woken up with a possible solution? Have you ever had a good idea strike when you’re thinking about something completely different?
One week, I was struggling to come up with a topic for a Better Hawaii post. Usually, I know what I want to write about – or I have too much to say, so I spend a lot of time editing to keep the posts short, simple, and positive.
I could think of several ideas, but nothing that I felt enthusiastic writing about. So one night before I fell asleep, I told myself to think about a Better Hawaii article.
Then I tossed and turned because ideas weren’t immediately popping into my mind.
(This happens to me sometimes – I feel as if my thoughts are racing out of control. Worrying about problems doesn’t usually keep me awake, though – it’s the list of things that I need to do or should have done that tends to keep me awake).
When I woke up the next morning, I lay there wondering what I would write about. And then, a part of my brain casually tossed out an answer: “Remember this? You can write about it.”
I lay in bed a few minutes, keeping my muscles relaxed, not reaching for a phone or a pen, and started writing the post in my mind. After a few mentally-composed sentences, I started to worry that I wouldn’t remember it all; but I forced myself to remain relaxed. I had to trust that I would remember it all.
It wasn’t the brilliant “eureka” moment that strikes late at night when you’re under pressure. It was a quiet idea that seemed to already be there, waiting to be noticed.
And that experience led me to write a second, short post – this one.
What is the most recent problem that you worried about before falling asleep – and did your sleeping mind work on a solution?
