Matt Gemmell recently wrote a piece where he talks about the various digital and physical tools that have become a regular part of his writing workflow. One interesting tidbit: he says you need something to throw.
If you’re writing, or indeed doing anything creative at all, you’re going to need something to throw. Do everyone a favour and don’t be one of those arseholes who throws something that could actually hurt somebody, or break a decent computer (like a Mac). […] The perfect object is a beanbag.
This cracked me up because I have a similar object constantly within reach at my desk: the Waboba street ball.
It’s become an instinct of mine to reach for it when I start pushing into deep concentration.
I like the Waboba ball because it’s small, I can throw it against a nearby wall, walk around bouncing it, lean back in my desk and toss it in the air, and its shape prevents it from rolling around on my desk. Mine came in a two-pack so I have a designated inside and outside one, which would make for a great lunchtime game of catch with an officemate.