What Works for Me - Write at Night and Edit in the Morning

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Updated 7 years ago

In my past occupations, I have done tests to determine whether I was more Left or Right Brain dominant. I found that my results tended towards the left. Later, I did similar tests just for fun, on my own time. The results were inconclusive. Needless to say, this left me a bit confused. I wondered about the circumstances of the testing; the time of day and my mood. Now, I’m not a particularly moody person, but I found that if I was happier, I was more creative and right brain driven. In a glum mood, I was left brain, logical. My left brain decided not ponder it and to just leave it alone.

Have you found that you are more Left Brained or Right Brained, and whether your mood and time of day sway the balance?

Let Right Brain Ideas Flow

When I started writing blogs, this old issue resurfaced. On an evening, shortly before bedtime, I came up with an idea for a blog post. I have to tell you that I was full of enthusiasm for this post. Words were pouring out of my head and I could hardly type fast enough to keep up. I thought it was brilliant. A Masterpiece. If there is such a thing as a masterpiece blog post, then this was it, and I was sure of it. As I sat tapping the keys, words spilled out. It was amazing. Where was all of this creativity coming from? Apparently, my left brain didn’t know, but I was onto a good thing and I just went with it until my eyelashes got tight and my eyelids started to close.

Well, the next morning, I awoke, exuberant and wanting to read all of my brilliance from the night before. It was marvellous. It was fresh. It was abstract. It was rubbish! Humph!

Who wrote this?

Left Brain Editing

With a coffee in hand, and staring out the window at the deer, who were so lovingly chomping on my favourite lilies, I decided that I would try to rescue some of the previous evening’s efforts.

With my logical left brain in the driver’s seat, I read and reread, trying to make sense of the ramblings. There was some decent stuff in there. But oh, the grammar. And the randomness of thoughts. It was enough to make my former English teachers cry. There was work to be done.

With my lilies now cropped to two inches tall, I decided to do a little pruning of my own. Why I didn’t stop the deer before it was too late, I’m not entirely sure. But I was fixated on the diversity of my writing style between the morning and the previous night. It was as though I had two minds.

Identify Your Most Creative Time

I ruthlessly edited my masterpiece. My mind of the night before would have been horrified by my pragmatism. With my editing all done and armed with a feeling of accomplishment, I spent the remainder of the day struggling to come up with ideas for my next post. My thoughts had all dried up. What!? How about I just wait till evening and try it again, I thought. Sure enough, come evening, my ideas started to flow again.

I spent the next few days in a similar battle of my brains. Naturally, the epiphany came in the evening.

I don’t have to be right or left. I can have it all. I would work to my strengths, Creative in the evening and logical in the morning.

My conclusion...try working at different times of the day. For me, the evening seems to be my creative time. I do my editing in the morning when I am feeling more pragmatic and my left brain logic is at it’s most potent.