Let’s talk about the biggest perceived productivity killer: writer’s block.

Whatever you’re working on right now, you’re bound to get stuck at some point. When you stumble upon “writer’s block,” here are ten tips to keep the words flowing.

1. Lower your standards. Many times, we get stuck because we’re trying to make it perfect. Be willing to write garbage just to get a draft done, then go back and revise it.
2. Brainstorm ideas on a whiteboard, legal pad, or post-it note. Changing the size of the canvas will often help you get past your block.
3. Take a nap. You might just be tired. History is replete with examples of famous creative people who took naps to be more productive.
4. Take a walk. When you walk, the blood circulates in your body more, and you’re more alert and attentive. It’s amazing how many problems get solved in your head just by walking for ten or twenty minutes.
5. Play with a toy. I keep a couple of fidget spinners on my desk. One’s in the shape of Captain America’s shield, and the other is in the shape of Thor’s hammer. It’s amazing how playing with these for a couple of minutes helps me solve writing problems.
6. Get up and drink a glass of water. Most of us are dehydrated, and this activity plus water will refresh your body and your mind.
7. Free write for three minutes. Free writing is just letting your hand write whatever comes to mind without stopping or judging yourself. It clears your creative palate and lets your subconscious take over for a bit.
8. Switch locations. Go to another desk or another part of the house. Or you can go somewhere else entirely, like the library or coffee shop. The change in scenery will spark your creativity.
9. Switch media. If you write on a computer, switch to a legal or journal. Use a different writing tool like a marker or crayon. You’re helping your brain to make a switch that will break the block.
10. Read something for ten minutes. Preferably, something in print. The change in media, and also holding something tactile, will give your brain a new input.

3 Bonus tips:

11. Do a mundane task. Take a twenty-minute break for a mundane chore like dishes, yard work, or folding laundry. This is similar to walking in that it will give you something physical to do. The new energy and change of pace will give you new ideas and solutions to your writing block.
12. Write your content as an email. If I’m feeling stuck, sometimes I’ll open my email app on my computer and write in that. That way, it feels like I’m writing an informal message to a friend rather than something with higher stakes like a blog post or book chapter. It sounds crazy, but it really does work.
13. Use a timer. On my desk, I keep a little 5-minute hourglass timer with sand inside. When I feel blocked, I make a game out of it by turning the timer upside down and seeing how much I can write before the sand runs out.

If you’re feeling blocked or a little stuck, these tips can make a big difference!

Today’s Challenge: Choose one of these tips to help you conquer writer’s block today.

The post The Productive Writer: Conquer Writer’s Block appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

1. Lower your standards. Many times, we get stuck because we’re trying to make it perfect. Be willing to write garbage just to get a draft done, then go back and revise it.
2. Brainstorm ideas on a white board, legal pad, or post-it note. Changing the size of the canvas will often help you get past your block, whether it’s a huge canvas like a white board, or a tiny one like a post-it note.
3. Take a nap. You might just be tired. History is replete with examples of famous creative people who took naps to be more productive.
4. Take a walk. When you walk, the blood circulates in your body more, and you’re more alert and attentive. It’s amazing how many problems get solved in your head just by walking for ten or twenty minutes.
5. Play with a toy. I keep a few “snake toys” beside my desk to play with. It consists of a bunch of triangles connected, and you can make it into an infinite number of shapes. This brain switching helps me solve writing problems quite frequently.
6. Get up and drink a glass of water. Most of us are dehydrated, and getting up to grab some water will refresh your body and your mind.
7. Free write for three minutes. Free writing is just letting your hand write whatever comes to mind without stopping or judging yourself. It clears your creative palate and lets your subconscious take over for a bit. It also helps break creative blocks.
8. Switch locations. Go to another desk or another part of the house. Or you can go somewhere else entirely, like the library or coffee shop. The change in scenery will spark your creativity.
9. Switch media. If you write on computer, switch to a legal pad or journal. Use a different writing tool like a marker or crayon. Again, you’re helping your brain to make a switch that will break the block.
10. Read something for ten minutes. Preferably, something in print. The change in media, and also holding something tactile, will give your brain a new input.

TWO BONUS TIPS

11. Do a mundane task. Take a twenty-minute break for a mundane chore like dishes, yard work, or folding laundry. This is similar to walking in that it will give you something physical to do. The new energy and change of pace will give you new ideas and solutions to your writing block.
12. Write your content as an email. If I’m feeling stuck, sometimes I’ll open my email app on my computer and write in that. That way, it feels like I’m writing an informal message to a friend rather than something with higher stakes like a blog post or book chapter. It sounds crazy, but it really does work.

If you’re feeling blocked or a little stuck, pick one of these tips and use it today!

Question: Which tip are you going to use to help you defeat writer’s block?

The post 10 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Whatever you’re working on right now, you’re bound to get stuck at some point. When you stumble upon our old friend, lovingly called “writer’s block,” here are ten tips to keep the words flowing.

1. Lower your standards. Many times, we get stuck because we’re trying to make it perfect. Be willing to write garbage just to get a draft done, then go back and revise it.
2. Brainstorm ideas on a white board, legal pad, or post-it note. Changing the size of the canvas will often help you get past your block, whether it’s a huge canvas like a white board, or a tiny one like a post-it note.
3. Take a nap. You might just be tired. History is replete with examples of famous creative people who took naps to be more productive.
4. Take a walk. When you walk, the blood circulates in your body more, and you’re more alert and attentive. It’s amazing how many problems get solved in your head just by walking for ten or twenty minutes.
5. Play with a toy. I keep a few “snake toys” beside my desk to play with. It consists of a bunch of triangles connected, and you can make it into an infinite number of shapes. This brain switching helps me solve writing problems quite frequently.
6. Get up and drink a glass of water. Most of us are dehydrated most of the time, and this activity plus water will refresh your body and your mind.
7. Free write for three minutes. Free writing is just letting your hand write whatever comes to mind without stopping or judging yourself. It clears your creative palate and lets your subconscious take over for a bit. It also helps break creative blocks.
8. Switch locations. Go to another desk or another part of the house. Or you can go somewhere else entirely, like the library or coffee shop. The change in scenery will spark your creativity.
9. Switch media. If you write on computer, switch to a legal or journal. Use a different writing tool like a marker or crayon. Again, you’re helping your brain to make a switch that will break the block.
10. Read something for ten minutes. Preferably, something in print. The change in media, and also holding something tactile, will give your brain a new input.

TWO BONUS TIPS

11. Do a mundane task. Take a twenty-minute break for a mundane chore like dishes, yard work, or folding laundry. This is similar to walking in that it will give you something physical to do. The new energy and change of pace will give you new ideas and solutions to your writing block.
12. Write your content as an email. If I’m feeling stuck, sometimes I’ll open my email app on my computer and write in that. That way, it feels like I’m writing an informal message to a friend rather than something with higher stakes like a blog post or book chapter. It sounds crazy, but it really does work.

If you’re feeling blocked or a little stuck, pick one of these tips and use it today!

Daily Question: Which tip are you going to use to help you defeat writer’s block?

The post 10 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Have you ever felt stuck by writer’s block? If so, you’re in good company.

That’s exactly the state the members of the legendary rock group Guns N’ Roses found themselves in one day in 1987. They were recording songs for their album Appetite for Destruction and had been working on their song “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” They had written the verses and chorus, so they had a complete song on their hands. However, producer Spencer Proffer suggested they add a breakdown at the end of the song.

As he was listening to a loop of the demo, lead singer Axl Rose began singing “Where do we go now?” as a filler lyric. However, it soon caught on and the band recorded the breakdown with these lyrics. The song was released in 1988 as the third single from the album, and was named by Billboard magazine as the #5 single that year.

When you feel stuck in your writing and you’re asking yourself “Where do I go now?” … do what Axl did. He incorporated his question into his lyrics.

Maybe you feel frustrated. Lost. Scared. Intimidated. Confused. Tired. Observe what you are thinking and feeling, and use that data to give you insights to get you unstuck.

When you don’t know where to go, go inside yourself and you’ll find your pathway forward.

The post Where Do I Go Now? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Everyone feels writer’s block sometimes. The next time you aren’t sure what to write about, try combining two things you love.

If you love teaching and movies, write a book about how to use movies in the classroom, or write a series of blog posts on famous classroom scenes from the movies.

If you love science and gardening, write about the science behind how to make a home garden successful, or write an article for a science magazine about new methods of gardening.

If you love technology and marketing, write some articles or blog posts about different technologies the best marketers use today.

If you love children’s books and running marathons, write about how families can run together, or write a children’s book about running.

Author Dan Miller writes, “Passion is the intersection of multiple curiosities.” You won’t find your passion by following someone else’s path. Follow your curiosities and blend them in interesting and unique ways. You’ll not only stand out among other writers, you will also feel more excited because you’re approaching everyday topics with your own special twist.

The post What Should You Write About? Try This. appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Every writer has felt like this at one time or another. You’re chugging along with your content and things are going smoothly. The ideas are flowing. You’re feeling great.

Then, it happens. You hit the wall. The creative juices have dried up and you sit there wondering where to go from here.

It happens to the best of us. Even to the very best of us, like Ernest Hemingway. What did he do when he was feeling blocked?

He said, “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”

You can draw your own conclusions about what exactly he meant, but here are things you can do when you are creatively blocked.

• Option 1: Get up and walk around. Scientific studies have shown the connection between creativity and exercise. The simple act of changing your scenery and getting your blood flowing has amazing benefits for your creative brain.
• Option 2: Take a break. We writers can be workaholics, never stopping for hours on end. So give your mind a break and then come back to your work later. Let your subconscious mind work and solve the problem on your behalf.
• Option 3: Work on something else. The cross-pollination of ideas between projects can help you break down those creative barriers.

So the next time you feel blocked, don’t just sit there and stare at the screen. Be proactive and start drilling and blasting. If it worked for Hemingway, it will probably work for all of us.

The post 3 Ways to Get Unblocked appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.