Fixing Writer's Block: My Simple Advice

By Emily Black, Senior Contributing Writer

Writer’s Block…

How can I possibly articulate the dreadful feeling of writer’s block? I guess the best way I can describe it is like a sneeze that just won’t come out… It’s like every idea you’ve ever conceptualized is on the other side of a locked door and you’ve misplaced the key. To put it simply-- it sucks.

What Causes Writer’s Block, and How To Conquer it…

If your frontal cortex, the hub of human creativity, is a squeaky wheel that just won’t turn, where can you find the oil to get it moving again? And, why does it become stuck in the first place? Here are some common causes and solutions to writer’s block…

The Cause: Burnout

Everyone is familiar with burnout. If you’re not, you must be superhuman. In short, burnout is the state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. It appears for a multitude of reasons including stress, interpersonal conflict, a heavy workload, and lack of boundaries. It manifests as fatigue, reduced performance,  memory issues, indecisiveness, and reduced initiative and imagination. As you may know, writing is already challenging, but with the added obstacle of burnout, it can be nearly impossible to convert thoughts into words.

The Solution: Self-Care

Self-care comes in many forms. To effectively combat burnout, it is important to focus on the basics. This includes things like getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods, and exercising. A healthy body equals a healthy mind and more physical and mental energy. Another important form of self-care is boundary setting. Know when to say ‘no’ and don’t take on too much at once.

The Cause: Smartphone Distractions

Whether you’re writing for work, pleasure, or school, one thing remains true... you need to be focused. Focus is important for perception, memory, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, decision making… and everything else. When you can’t focus effectively, you can’t think effectively, thus your writing and productivity suffer. One of the most common distractions is located right in our pocket. Our Phone. Checking our phones can feel like second nature. Our smartphones tend to suck us in and disrupt our flow.

The Solution: There’s an App for That

Turn off your notifications with “Do Not Disturb.” Use the “Screentime” app, which measures how much time you spend on your phone and which apps are the most distracting. Switch up the locations of your distracting apps so clicking them becomes less habitual. My favorite tool is the “Forest” app. You set an amount of time that you wish to avoid your phone and if you succeed a tree will grow. It’s a pleasing way to avoid mobile device distractions.

The Cause: Multitasking

In a Harvard Business Review article, Peter Bregman notes that our productivity goes down by 40% when we attempt to focus on several things at once. Multitasking also reduces our creativity, productivity, and focus. Our brains are not wired to handle working on multiple tasks at once.

The Solution: Time Blocking

Time blocking is the practice of setting aside specific times during the day that are dedicated to prioritizing one task. When you put in the intentional effort, interjections and distractions disappear. And, don’t forget to take a short planned break to reset-- move your body or hydrate. 

The Cause: Perfectionism 

Productivity’s worst nightmare is perfectionism. We often let our unrealistic expectations of ourselves interfere with our performance and creative process. Often, we won’t even begin due to the paralyzing fear perfectionism can introduce to our psyche.

The Solution: Let Things Unfold and Enjoy Your Work

Remember, “perfection” is subjective. Don’t discriminate against your work and don’t quit just because it’s not up to your standards yet. Trust the process. You have been editing and revising the same words over and over so it’s only natural that they become dull and uninteresting to you. But think of this, you have no idea what a pair of fresh eyes will gain from your work. 

The Cause: Your Environment

Your environment impacts your creativity, productivity, concentration, mood, and so much more. A noise-polluted surrounding can cause overstimulation and lack of motivation. It can stop you right in your tracks and frustrate the hell out of you.

The Solution: Find Your Happy Place

If you have the freedom to write remotely, you can drop by your favorite library, cafe, or a quiet place. You get to decide your favorite location. If you don’t have many options you can create a peaceful internal environment but meditating, wearing noise-canceling headphones, lighting your favorite candle, or playing a “productivity playlist” on your favorite streaming service. 

The Bottom Line… 

Don’t let writer’s block hold you back. I know that it can be extremely frustrating at the time, but have confidence that you can overcome it and produce outstanding, creative, and fresh prose.