Jet Set Life, I don’t hear you about @gratitude. I was reminded of this recently by a dear friend…and have since been trying to eat a little slower, and to stop to “smell the roses.”

Sonia, I like the idea of using those sorts of ideas as a bookmark…as something that floats around. Usually the scraps I find offer little helpful value. As for @braindead, I’m going to take Paul’s lead and say “put off whatever you have to do and go do something fun or rest or whatever”–i.e., switching contexts is often the only satisfying option.

On the other side, I wrote HELPFUL, and came up with things like sex, gardening, and working out that make me feel better.

That index card sort of floats around on my desk. Sometimes it’s in my in box and sometimes it’s in a big tray I use for personal items and sometimes I use it as a bookmark in my Notebook Where I Write Stuff. I come across it every 3-6 weeks or so. I’ve found that really helpful for me–a way to remind myself on a somewhat random basis. I suppose I could also pop it into Outlook as a recurring event, but I tend to ignore those if I don’t feel they’re true hard commitments.

I’m also seriously considering an @braindead context. Sometimes you really really need a list of things you can do with no brain cells whatsoever.

Paul, excellent point about changing contexts! I need to move on from unproductive things a lot sooner than I do, and an activity totally different is probably the best option.

Bobby, I guess we all have songs like that…but we don’t often consciously work to use them when we need them. Like when I go running I have a “PowerSong” (as my Nike+iPod calls it), and I bet if I played that in the middle of the day it’d also get me motivated. I’m going to think through this and try to add some songs to my mood-related contexts.

Jason, glad to get confirmation that this stuff works for you.

Thanks for all the encouraging tips. I’m going to put this stuff to action.

A couple things that get me out of a funk.

Anchored State songs… I have a few songs that I’ve anchored to good moods. I play this songs whenever I’m completley happy and motivated (after a successful meeting, a good work out, getting laid, during vacations)

Since I most often play these songs during motivated times… I’ve found that merely playing during periods of being down or bored… the songs will lift me back on to that feeling of inspiration I’m used to having when hearing the certain songs.

Also, going to the gym tends to get me out of a funk!

As with most people (IMHO, anyways), the most common solution for me is to switch contexts or tasks when I’m in a funk. Bummed about what I’m working on? I’ll probably go cycling. Not making enough progress on a certain project? Time to go watch some TV.

For me, the real problem is that I avoid acknowledging the funk for far too long. I’ll internally “chastise” myself for being lazy or just making excuses when I really am just “not in the mood” for whatever I’m doing.

“I just think we have a lot to learn about how to get to back to good, and we ought to do anything in our power to make that easier.”

Absolutely — in my case, I’ve chosen to list out the early warning indicators for detecting a funk before it’s too late. Though, when I step back and re-read it, the primary warning is that my productivity drops to near 0 — I’m going to start using that as my “funk-warning” and start getting back to good sooner rather than later.