Use jet lag to your creative advantage

I went to sleep at 2 AM. I woke up at 6 AM. This this happened.

I just returned from a 9-hour time-zone difference. I thought I had beat jet lag* because I slept the first night from 8 PM to 8 AM. Little did I know.

Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep. I also had lots of work to do. After reading my book, possibly falling asleep, finding my book in my hand as my eyes opened but only minutes later, turning off the light, turning on the light, I finally fell asleep around 2 in the morning.

At 6, it was clear: I was awake.

Before getting up or even moving much, the thoughts started coming through. Loud, clear, and direct enough that I knew I needed to milk it. This was going to be a good download.

Boom! There came one. Step into her shoes.

Ka-blam! Over promise and under deliver. 

Whoosh! Surprise her.

We had one of those (dreaded?) big talks with our son yesterday. It actually went OK. The kind you don’t really want to have, know you have to, and are glad you did. But it must have been swirling around my jetlagged-brain all night because when I woke up, I had this clear thought:

Ten Tips for My Teenage Son

Writer and marketer that I am (even at 6 AM on 4 hours sleep), I immediately thought:

1. I want to make under 10-minute videos for each tip,
2. Of course, I’d use the audio for a 10-episode podcast,
3. I’ll work on the tips together with my kids,
4. I’ll use his photo on the cover (see the tip on embracing the unknown … ),
5. I should make it for both boys and girls (or should I say males and females? how old are “boys and girls”),
6. I need to keep them in mind, not just what I think I would have liked,
7. Get it done within the next month.
8. Boom.

It’s now 7:30 and I outlined this post: Ten Tips for My Teenager.

I might have rolled over and tried to sleep more.

But I allowed the creative download and took action on it.

Boom. Just. Like. That.

It’s so easy when you’re open to new creative input and you let it waltz in the front door. Try it next time you’re jetlagged or overly tired or just not in your regular rhythm.

In related news, here are other titles I have come up with this morning:

1. Ten Tips for your Tired Teenager
2. Ten Tips for your Teenager in under Ten Minutes
3. Ten Tips for your Teenager in Ten Days in under Ten Minutes
4. Ten Teen Tips
5. Ten Tips for my Teenage Self
6. Ten Tips for The Teenager