Experiencing a writing block is very common. This can especially be difficult for beginner writers to manage. Writing blocks can keep you from meeting deadlines and affect your work performance.
Being able to manage writing blocks is an essential skill for any writer, whether you’re a content marketer or a novelist. There are many strategies that can help you avoid such blocks and overcome them if they do happen to you.
Let’s look at six easy ways to overcome writing blocks that benefit everyone from beginner writers to more seasoned writing professionals.
Take a Break
When you’ve been working at a piece of content for a long time, you can feel stuck for words. Taking a break can help you clear your head.
Go for a long walk. Do some chores that keep you occupied such as laundry or doing the dishes. Even call a friend and have a chat.
Make sure that you don’t do anything work-related for a while. When you return to your writing, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to write.
Hold Back on Editing
Very often people block their own creativity by editing as they write. Editing is important, but doing it too early can keep you from doing your best work.
When writing, practice jotting down anything that comes to your mind. Don’t try to edit your thoughts and words until the very end of your piece. You always have the time to edit later.
This is a helpful way to quiet the critical voice in your head that’s impeding your writing flow. Saving your editing for last can help you write blogs faster and be more productive.
Make Changes to Your Environment
It’s possible that your environment is the cause of distraction, restlessness, and writing blocks. Altering your environment in small ways can impact your creativity.
Switch off distractions such as your phone and television. If there are too many items on your desk, remove them. If there are clothes lying about, but them back. Try adding more light to your workspace and turning on an aroma diffuser. Try to find small changes that can help you and play some classical music.
Try Meditation
You can meditate to create peace of mind and to take a break. There are several meditation techniques that you can use that only take a few minutes and which you can do seated at your desk.
Simply taking in a few deep breaths and counting them can help you feel more relaxed. A great idea is to join a membership site where there’s a supportive community that can teach you to meditate and relax.
Commit to Writing
Sometimes you need to force yourself into the act of writing whether you’re in the mood for it or not. Create a commitment to yourself that you will write a certain number of words every day. It can be a complete page, 500 words, or any amount you choose.
The important thing is to write, not to create perfect prose. Getting into the act of writing will feel uncomfortable at first. But as you write, you may find that you’re eager to continue.
Simply starting an activity can help you overcome any resistance to it, especially when you don’t set up high expectations for results.
Remove the Desire for Perfection
Very often, at the heart of a writing block is the desire to do things right and to be perfect. It’s important to recognize that this isn’t possible all the time.
It’s more helpful to be on time and create good quality content consistently than to be perfect but late. Ask yourself if you’re trying very hard to create ‘perfect’ content. Remind yourself that it’s not possible to be perfect all the time. Being aware of your own thoughts can help you change unhelpful thought patterns.
Overcome Blocks to Become More Create
Overcoming writing blocks is possible by taking the time to create a calm mental and physical space. Very often, it’s the desire to be perfect and to get things exactly right that puts a stop to writing.
Use the different strategies to create a blog, a research paper, or a book more easily. You’ll overcome your writing blocks and grow as a writer.