How to Conquer Writer’s Block Today: 5 ways
By: Eric Jan Huizer
Tags: Love, Entrepreneurship, Writing, Conquer, Writing Tips

After moving to another city with my wife I am trying to get my life back on track, and also my writing… Last few weeks were very stressful due to the reason why we moved, and I found it very difficult to start writing again, I had a severe case of writer’s block. After staring at my screen for a few hours (again) one day, I decided to search for ways to get rid of my writer's block. Some ways are just plain dumb, but some ways do really work wonders for me!

Below I will share 5 ways that work for me. I would love to hear how you tackle this nasty state of mind. Feel free to leave a comment below since we can all learn from each other. I would appreciate it very much!

What is it and what are the most common causes?

Fear: Many writers have problems with sharing their ideas with the world. ‘What if they don’t like it?’. Many writers are struggling with the fact that not everyone will like their articles, and some people will even criticize your writing. But it is nothing personal. And this is a big reason that a lot of aspiring writers never make it to where they want to be.

Timing: Some ideas need more time to develop, sometimes it’s a good idea to go for a long walk and read your draft again and improve it. There is always something to improve before the article is ready for publication.

It has to be perfect: At least, that is what you believe. But I disagree with you on this, I believe it is better to finish and stop making 50 changes. ‘When do you decide the article is good?’. Your article will never be perfect, this sucks to hear maybe, but I am here to help you and not kick you down.

So how do we put this enemy down?

The answer to this question is not an easy one or a short one to be completely fair. Simply because I have handled this enemy in different ways with different outcomes.

There are no ‘5 easy ways to conquer writer’s block’, which is a shame but it also gives us plenty of space to experiment and find out what works best for us.

Creative ways to kick writer’s block in the b@lls

Stretch your legs

I can almost hear you think ‘duh’ the whole world knows this, but did you know why walking improves your writing? Please allow me to explain.

A different desk brings different words

Change your working environment, go to the local coffee shop, or try out that new restaurant with their super-fast wifi. I and my wife (who also works from home, not a writer btw) try to change our home-offices at least once a week for a new inspiring place. We love to work in our local coffee-shop, it is always busy with tourists and other interesting coffee-lovers. I love to write while watching people and imagine how their holidays are going and what kind of tourist they are. ‘Are they the fancy kind that only tries out the best food in town, or are they the kind of backpackers that wants to feel part of the community?’.

Seeing different people and different places sparks my creativity which will often give me a different view on things. And this helps me to not be judgemental about the subject I’m writing about.

Stay in the zone, the ‘writing zone’

It’s very nice, having your own home office. You have everything at hand, and the coffee is always fresh. Sounds great, but there are also a few downsides. Imagine having several children running around the house and making a mess everywhere they go. Would they distract you up to the point that you cannot focus anymore? And how about other things like noise?

Does your friendly neighbor upstairs wear her high-heels on her beautiful dark-brown oak-floor? Or is there a lot of heavy traffic in the street you live? These are just a few examples of some things that can make your writing-life a living hell. So try to find a calm place to work, without any distractions like loud noises and children.

And, do not forget to turn off notifications on your phone. Once you are in ‘the zone’ you should keep going, if you need to search for things on Google to support your content, don’t! You can do this later, keep writing for now. Just put notes in your draft describing the searches you need to do.

Pump it up!

Getting your heart rate going is a good way to get those creative juices flowing, I know I know.. That saying might be lame, but I do believe it’s true for us creative artists.

For example, go for a run in the morning before taking the kids to school, or ride your bike to the park an enjoy a long break. There are many ways to get your blood flowing and I suggest regular exercise to keep your body healthy and your mind creative.

Make your inner child happy

Every person should be able to let their inner child out once in a while, to play with Lego or play video games for example. Life is serious enough and playing is a good way to get away from the hustle and bustle of being a business owner. So embracing your inner child is the perfect way to balance life and pleasure if you ask me.

Let’s look at my working-days as an example: I wake up at 7.30 AM and have breakfast with my wife. After that, I check my inbox and answer requests from project managers and questions from clients.

After getting the most urgent needs out of my way, I tackle the other tasks of the day. My tasks range from improving my LinkedIn profile to writing articles about financial issues like how to get all your employees ready for the next big change in your call center? for some of my regular clients. It takes up between 3 and 7 hours a day depending on my clients’ needs. But after working for 2 or 3 hours I usually take a long break by having lunch, playing video games, or going for a walk.

In the afternoon, I tend to finish the tasks I started for the day and I tend to be finished at 17.30. After that, I have time to relax, have some food and watch a movie (or two). For me, working like this is perfect because I take the time to real y take my time to deliver the quality my clients deserve, and I take the time to make myself happy including my inner child.

How do you handle the responsibility of everyday life, how do you relax after a long day at the (home) office?

Once you found what works for you, keep on it and follow this road. Once you have mastered this way of working, writer’s block will be a thing of the past. You are able to write more and write better, enjoy your improvements ☺

Just for laughs, I made a list of things not to do…

How to let writer’s block ruin your life:

Refuse to write when you feel blocked and wait until you get Inspired.

Feel sorry for yourself, blame the whole world and f#ck the deadlines.

Binge watch your favorite TV series and ignore the needs of your clients, they can wait.

Read every article there is about how to overcome writer’s block.

Just wait a few hours more until you cannot find any more excuses, it is not your fault that you’re stuck, right?

If all else fails:

If you still do not feel like writing, then it is time to face the truth, what needs to be done need to be done. It is time to swallow that bitter pill and get on with it... You know what I mean.

Just start with it, if I cannot convince you if you cannot convince yourself.. Then it’s time to just start writing no matter how you feel…

I did not feel like writing today, to be honest, after taking my neighbor to the hospital with a dangerous infection in her mouth. But now I am waiting outside the first help area, thinking how even this situation could be turned around into something less negative by letting my thoughts lead my fingers while writing these words.

The point that I’m trying to make is that no matter how uninspiring the situation is, there is always a moment to start writing or continue writing. There is never a reason why you should not enjoy writing, after all, most of us started writing because it is fun! So whenever you really feel like you cannot write, just write down a few sentences and maybe leave it like that. You might feel instantly inspired to edit, rewrite or write some more after you took this step. And if not, just leave it at that for the time being and you will enjoy writing again at a later time.

I would love to hear how you tackle this nasty state of mind. Feel free to leave a comment below since we can all learn from each other. I would appreciate it very much!

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