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When you’ve been writing for a while, creativity can start failing you more than it used to. (Or is that just me?) So Sonja Foust is going to help us with that today.
Overcoming Creative Blocks
This is going to be a little “touchy feely” but we will get some concrete takeaway messages with actionable items by the end.
The idea for this session came from blog readers who asked how she does what she does every day.
“Just do it.”
It’s not that simple. This is not good advice. It is not helpful. You could have something serious going on where just forcing it to happen isn’t going to work.
Teh Lazy
“I’ve been there. Some days all you wanna do is sit in front of the TV and marathon Friends…And there’s nothing wrong with being lazy sometimes.”
- Be lazy for a set amount of time. You can literally get a timer and set it for 20 minutes.
- Tell yourself you can be lazy when you’re done! Laziness can be your reward for productivity.
- Remove the lazy triggers from your environment. Physically put your phone in another room so you don’t pick it up to play Candy Crush. Pick up your laptop and work at a cafe with no Internet access.
So Sleepeh
Exhaustion is a bigger deal than laziness. Something’s gotta give. You cannot make more hours in the day. You may have to cut back on things you want to do. If you can afford it, you might want to consider cutting back on a few hours of work at your day job to become more serious about your creative endeavors. Your cuts should be equivalent in required brain power.
Activity
Start thinking about what you could cut out. Be ruthless. Cut, baby, cut! No one has to see what’s on this list…not your boss, not your spouse, not your kids, not your mom. These are just possibilities. Write them all down. Feel free to rip it up into little tiny pieces afterward. Some of these cuts might be more painful than others, but they may still be worth thinking about.
BLOCKED!
If you can’t think of what to create, you may need to reevaluate what you’re creating. You may need to reconsider your niche. Think about it strategically instead of trying to push it through. Legitimate writer’s block may indicate there is a problem you need to fix with what you’re writing.
Your blogging blog can be that your focus is too narrow, but it can also be that your net is too large. Rebrand if you need to. Start a new blog if you need to.
Brain Clutter
Start thinking of your creative endeavors the way you think about the other parts of your life that are working properly. Organize your creative life just like your regular life.
If you are waiting for the muse to breathe inspiration on you, you’re not going to be that productive. You can get into the zone with the muse.
- Have a thinking chair. (I have a thinking bathtub.)
- Make a “work time” routine. Get your coffee, put on your writing slippers, and the ritual can trick your brain into getting into the creative zone.
- Put your creative working time on your calendar.
Sonja likes the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Activity
Brain dump! Make a list RIGHT NOW of everything you have to do that’s in your brain. Everything on your brain’s to-do list. EVERYTHING. Get it all on paper and out of your head, and then you don’t have to think about it any more. Keep writing until you can’t think of any more things.
Stahp it, Rahn.
If there are creative things you’re doing that you find out you don’t want to do anymore, then stop doing it. You don’t have to finish that project that you no longer want to do, no matter how much time you’ve already invested in it. Don’t be afraid to try something new if what you’re doing is not working.
Post-Conference To-Do List:
- Combat your lazy!
- Figure out what to cut so you can spend the most time possible on your dreams.
- If you have writer’s block, spend time thinking about the structure of your creative endeavor to get unblocked!
- Make an “office” even if it’s a chair in the corner.
- If you’re not doing what you want, stop!
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
