I found this interesting article on mindful writing that might interest my readers.

Mindfulness is a technique that focuses on the “now” of your life – paying attention to what is going on around and within you at the moment, rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.

Here are the steps to the mindful writing exercise:

• Set a timer for 30 minutes – the first few times you try this, you’ll be releasing a lot of what the writer calls “superfluous thoughts” – stuff like “This is stupid” or “I’m just wasting time” – stick with it and keep going for the full half hour
• Try keeping your eyes closed – if you can’t touch-type, then leave them open – but do the exercise with pen and paper instead
• At the end of each sentence, stop for one deep inhale and exhale – don’t try to think “positive thoughts,” but focus on a feeling of warmth and friendliness – the writer suggests aiming for that feeling you get when you look at a cute baby animal – if you fall asleep, don’t worry, you must have really needed the rest!

For this exercise, don’t begin with any concrete outcome in mind. Just sit down and start writing and breathing. You might try starting a gratitude journal or mindfulness essay.

As you become adept at this mindfulness exercise, your mind will stop feeding you useless thoughts like “I should be working on the novel” and start producing some real creativity for you.