[vijucat]

Get up, get ready, have breakfast, and start writing. Write in your journal / diary every day (it has to be pen / pencil and paper, not keyboard-based online journal; not sure why it works that way). Even if you think there is nothing to write / say; you will be very surprised once the pen touches the paper. Then take a long walk. This combination helps a lot. It draws out the thoughts that may be under the radar of your consciousness and whose expression provides relief.

Summary : Write. Long walk.

All the best, man. I can only imagine what State-persecution does to a person.

[manmukh]

> it has to be pen / pencil and paper, not keyboard-based online journal

Does anyone know why this is? I've seen this sentiment quite a few times now.

[vijucat]

I'd be interested in this, too. It is ridiculous the number of times I sat down with the feeling that there is nothing new to write, only to get up an hour or so later with my hand paining from having written / drawn continuously for pages and pages!

In fact, I am worried that OP, seemingly an accomplished hacker, will not heed my advice and try just typing or maybe OneNote. OP, I spent $2000 on a tablet PC with OneNote + pen to realize that it simply isn't even in the same league as good old writing.

manmukh, one reason this seems to the case is that writing is a slow-bandwidth activity, and forces the mind into what I call "walking mode", i.e., it is well-known that walking fosters creativity by putting one in this special floating / limbo state of mind where new thoughts and new connections arise naturally. Writing seems to provoke the same state of mind by being slow! It is as if the mind goes to take a walk while the hand finishes it's duty of serializing the last bunch of thoughts...:-)

[CyberPants]

Try both, each medium has benefits and downsides.