You’ve been sitting at your computer screen for what feels like hours, chewing your nails and trying to get some words typed up. You thought it’d be easier, but here you are, unable to write a single sentence that you like.
Sure, it’s probably only been 20 minutes. But with that blank screen staring back at you, the furious clicking of the ‘delete’ key, and the never-ending, almost mocking, blinking of your cursor, they feel like the longest minutes of your life.
Ok, maybe I’m being dramatic here.
Maybe.
But if you’ve ever suddenly found yourself completely unable to write, you know how frustrating it feels.
“Do I even know how to write?!”
“Should I be picking another career?”
“I have so much to do still and I’m not even close to finishing!”
“I wonder if there are any oreos left in the pantry?”
All the negative (and completely unrelated) thoughts start spiraling and before you know it, you slam your computer closed and declare it a project for another day.
Even though I write for work, I’d be lying if I said that this doesn’t happen to me every so often (and if I’m being honest, it’s definitely more often than ‘every so often’). There’s just some days where I can’t coax the words out no matter how patient and nice I am. They just keep hiding up in that little cave in my mind, chillin’ and doing anything other than getting out onto the page.
And it’s enough to make me question everything.
But really, these days happen to all of us. Though I know telling you that doesn’t make it easier.
So here are some things I’ve found to help me shake myself out of any writing funk and get back to regular programming. Because knowing how to tackle writer’s block as a business owner who has lots of things to write is a good skill to have.
How To Tackle Writer’s Block
Move your body
Go walk around your block, do 10 squats in your kitchen, run through a few sun salutations — move however you want. Writing is such a cognitive task, and your brain and body will end up feeling so much more refreshed when you break out in some motor activity.
Even when I’m not having a writer’s block moment, I like to break out into some movement at least every half hour of sitting, otherwise I start to lose my mind. Because sometimes losing my mind makes for some good writing, but not usually.
Change your spot
Sure, having one designated spot where you sit down to work can be a good indicator to your mind that “Ok, it’s time to work now and I have to focus.”
But if that spot’s not doing it today, having a complete — or totally minor — change of scenery can help to shake things up.
Grab a seat on the other side of the table, lay on the floor with your laptop, plop on your front step outside. Just try to find a spot anywhere other than where you’ve been sitting to get a bit of a refreshing change of perspective.
Look out in the distance
We actually use different muscles in our eyes when we’re looking at things near vs. far. That likely explains why we feel so fatigued after staring at a screen so long. (That, and all the blue light of course). And this fatigue definitely doesn’t help us get our best writing out there.
So when you realize you’ve been staring at your screen, super focused, for a long time, give your eyes a break by looking out the window, or even just across the room if a window’s not feasible.
It’ll help take some of that strain off your eyes, and plus, it acts as a moment to pause, breathe, and rest.
Write something else
Sometimes, if I’m working on something for a client or just content for KA Copy, and I’m getting super stuck? I’ll close out of it and start writing up an email to someone — my sister, my mom, my BFF, anyone. I even started a Gmail for my son and I email him every so often. (I think it’ll be sweet for him to read when he’s older but he’s probably just gonna think I’m weird 💁🏻♀️).
Shifting gears and writing something that has absolutely zero pressure attached to it helps to get things moving again, and reminds me that I do in fact know how to write.
And who would say no to receiving a random email from you? Not me!
Light a yummy candle
There’s been a lot of research around scent and how it impacts our productivity and creativity. So sometimes I’ll go light a candle that I don’t light too often, just so the scent feels more novel. And that, combined with taking a short break, makes me end up feeling much more refreshed and focused.
It also doesn’t have to be a candle. You could use essential oils in a diffuser, put on some scented hand lotion, or try a different perfume. It’s just the idea that scent can help spark that creativity you’re after. Play around with it!
There’s probably endless ways to get rid of writer’s block out there. What I’ve found, though, is that the ones that work best for me are the ones that are more sensory-related. When I feel like my brain is stuck, just thinking about ways I can stimulate at least one of my senses usually does the trick. It’s always a great means of getting out of my own head and jumpstarting the creativity!
Hey, I’m Kristie! Besides writing website and email copy for the best businesses, I also help business-owners like you feel grounded and less chaotic.
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