Riding and Thinking or Thinking and Riding

Recently I had the pleasure of being subjected to a barrage of final exams ranging from straightforward multiple choice to a full on multi-page essay question. Yes, that special time of year when students are pulling their hair out trying to cram all that knowledge in just before it is too late. Well, having done my fair share of cramming over the years, I was ready to do it again. Considering myself an old pro I planned to confine myself to the library for all of the hours it was open. I would take snacks, lots of coffee, water, and any other studying essential. One particularly grueling day I had been studying for about eight hours straight in the library in a room with no windows surrounded by empty coffee cups and crumbs of snacks long past. Glassy eyed and way past the point of no return, and suffering horribly from writer's block, I was awoken from my stupor by a clumsy grasp for coffee that almost flooded my laptop! Not to mention the very small amount of progress I had painstakingly made on a final paper. Frustration and stress set in and I packed up all my stuff and decided to head home.

I headed for the bike parking, got all of my stuff situated and pointed my two wheeled steed homeward. I had never really thought much about my commute before; it was relatively short, three miles or so, with some hills and a fair share of traffic. Little did I know that it was going to be the answer to my writer’s block and the rest of my studying woes this semester. During my ride home that evening I had a breakthrough – my mind was just a swirl of information at first and with each pedal stroke came a link of clarity eventually linking up the next sentence in my paper and the next and the next. I didn't know whether to ride straight home and get everything in my head on paper or to chance remembering it and keep riding and writing in my head. I extended my commute a bit that night and headed home to get a significant amount of writing done.

My daily routine of riding my bike to and from school had helped me create a new and much needed routine in my studying habits. From that point on I would spend a couple of hours studying in the library and then I would head out for a head-clearing ride then back to the books. It was amazing how much those rides helped with my stress level and improved my overall performance on my exams.

I learned that it is important to take a break, get a change of scenery and clear your head when you are feeling bogged down. I know now that I have a plan for future exams or even just any perplexing situation I might find myself in – take a break and go for a ride. Next time you find yourself caught in a cycle hop on your bicycle and see if the meditation of pedaling will help you push through.

To figuring it out on the bike,
Sara