Solve Plot Problems and Writers' Block With Laundry

That's my mother taking clothes off the line and folding them. That's the way it was done in the old days. As a youngster, I hung clothes on the line, brought them in, folded them, and put them away. It was a rather dreadful chore in the wintertime when the clothes would freeze solid--and so would my fingers.

Now most people use clothes dryers, but all the clothing still needs to be folded and put away, which for a writer isn't a bad thing. I find  this chore to be one of the best ways for me to solve plot problems and breeze through writer's block. I don't know why it works for me, but it does. The repetitious task allows my mind to wander and suddenly everything becomes quite clear.

I'm not the only one who finds it helpful. Type in "folding laundry, writers' block" on Google. You'll find many others who rely on this particular activity when they're writing.

Sometimes, driving in the car to a familiar destination works for me as well.

How about you? Can you solve a plot problem with housework or some other menial task?