It’s no surprise that people frequently use gears & machinery as figurative language for describing all things human, but in the current book I’m reading, Hyper-Efficient, Mithu Storoni takes it up a notch. The neuroscientist & ophthalmic surgeon proposes that we all have three mental gears, the second of which is the sweet spot when it comes to working with a low drag coefficient, otherwise known as flow.

For some time now, I’ve been a dedicated practitioner of 90-minute blocks of focused work with short breaks in between. But reading her extensive game plans for various work situations has helped nudge me toward a major shift I’ve been toying with.

After a series of events including getting positive reactions to my two previous posts (The Irony of It All & And That’s a Wrap), updating my first novel that I self-published a couple years ago on Amazon, & refrigerating its new companion novel while I pick & choose various promotion routes to explore, I’m settling into my high-energy gear two, broadening my focus, zeroing in on the rhythm of my brain, synchronizing my mental pendulums, & firing up the cruise control.

In other words, I’m starting a new novel.

I realize that may seem counterintuitive & out of alignment with what some would consider a reset strategy—for example, taking a long trip, going on a retreat, or becoming a ski bum.

But for me, writing a new novel set in a different time & place is the best damn thing I could do right now for three reasons:

• I’m in serious need of a break from the troubling landscape of the Oregon Meltdown that served as the backdrop for two consecutive novels
• I’m much more confident about my 3rd-person narration style after having finished Core Haven
• I’m ready to tweak my brain by writing a novel with plenty of comic relief.

Wish me luck.

Drew

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