Freewriting: Get to Know Yourself — Daydreamer & The Doer

By Lisa Payne

There has never been a more silence-provoking question than, “What do you want to do with your life?” Why is it that when we try to answer that question it’s as if we’ve forgotten everything we’ve ever wanted out of life. Why is there so much pressure to not only have an answer, but to also have an answer that feels right?

While we all have to work to support ourselves, eat to stay alive and see the doctor when we are sick, we also have choices on how we spend our time on this earth. But if you’ve ever had a difficult time cultivating ideas as to the places you’d like to travel to, hobbies you’d like to pick up or even new foods to cook, you’re in good company. So many of us get so caught up in our adult responsibilities that it becomes a hefty distraction.

As we get older, our daydreaming muscles sometimes atrophy and we forget the imaginative curious nature we had as children. But you can satisfy all your adult responsibilities and still create a more satisfactory existence. You can do that by tapping into your subconscious and reminding yourself who you are, what your values are and how to put your discoveries into action. Freewriting is a way to do all of that.

What is freewriting? Freewriting is writing out every thought that comes into your mind as it enters your brain. It’s done without provocation or judgement, and can be done anytime, anywhere. Do NOT worry about grammar, punctuation, spelling, cohesiveness or meaning. Simply write without stopping. It’s a lot like having your water shut off in your house and then when it comes back on there’s a stuttering spatter of water and air until the water eventually runs smooth. When you freewrite, you clear out the mind-clutter and self-criticism until there’s a free-flow of truths. This meditative exercise will teach you about who you are at the core and it will improve your decision-making skills.

Here’s are's an example:

Seek out breath mountains by fire catching wind unyielding wild thorns into thickets unwound by sky and thieves needing enemies take flight without flip flopping the news into the sky we ignite out flames and breathe out carbon inside fences and around the cause tripping over rocks and sandstone running water so freely into the sand we sink followed by morning juice and coffee into the earth and far away from clocks with roadblocks and churning my spine into far off places.

It's sort of chaotically beautiful, isn't it? Sometimes it's helpful to use a prompt, a mantra, a word or any subject matter that might help get you going. The short sample above had the prompt of wandering through a forest. Just see what comes out and don't force anything! Your freewrite could go from mountains to Cheese Whiz to gumbo to Las Vegas. Let it all flow!

Taking the time to freewrite is a lot like practicing yoga. Freewriting calms your nervous system, provides clarity, and improves your creativity. Look back at older freewrites and reflect on what they tell you. What have you learned about yourself? Are your thoughts clearer? Can you make sounder decisions? Simple exercises like this can help ignite a life that is truer to who you are.