Are you stuck somewhere in your current writing project and you just can’t move on? Do you perhaps have an idea or two but when you sit down to write, you can’t seem to get started? If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, you might be experiencing the infamous writer’s block. This frustrating feeling of being unable to progress with your writing project has been ascribed to a lack of ideas, perfectionism, anxiety, and a fear of criticism. Whether you are working on a creative or an academic writing project, the following tips may show you how to overcome writer’s block and reactivate your productivity.
Take a break
By the time you spend hours staring at an empty page, you are probably too absorbed in the problems of your project to solve them right then and there. This is where taking a break can help you reset. Go for a walk or a holiday, cook a meal, or focus on an enjoyable hobby. Do anything that does not involve working on or thinking about your writing project. This could allow you to return to your project with a fresh perspective. When you are ready to continue, take a critical look at your habits to avoid ending up in the same situation.
Write through it
Some say that the best way to get over writer’s block is to get through it. In other words, force yourself to write anything to keep a momentum of words flowing onto a page. Instead of aiming for perfection at the risk of not writing anything at all, it’s always easier to self-edit a rough draft later. Depending on where you are stuck in your project, you could simply move on to another part that seems easier.
If you still want to step away from the project for a while, you could try a completely unrelated free writing exercise such as Morning Pages. You can do this on paper the traditional way or you could try out the Morning Pages app. You could also use writing prompts.
Remember that the aim is to overcome writer’s block through a stream of consciousness technique, not to produce perfection. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry about sentence structure, grammar, or spelling in these exercises.
Revisit your habits
Seemingly simple environmental and habitual changes can help overcome a lack of productivity. Take a close look at what characterises your work routine and consider some alternatives. Be honest about distractions and try to eliminate them as much as possible. Sometimes replacing an old habit with a new one can help.
Consider changing your workplace and times. If you normally sit at your desk in the morning only to procrastinate, the mere sight of that desk might fill you with dread and guilt. Try working at a coffee shop, at the library, or at a friend’s house to see if you’re more productive. If you usually work on your laptop, try writing on paper or using voice dictation. This does not mean that you should write a manuscript-length draft by hand. However, a simple change can reactivate your productivity and help you overcome writer’s block.
Try the S.M.A.R.T. Goals method to set goals
Sometimes unproductivity and the feeling of being stuck occur because you are just not making any progress, which can then reinforce unproductivity. Setting clearly defined goals can help you measure your progress and your work more effectively. If you’re unsure whether your goals help or limit you, you could try out the S.M.A.R.T. Goals method, which can work in a wide range of contexts. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. proposes that an effective goal is specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-bound.
For a fitness goal, somebody might say, “I want to be fit.” However, this goal is vague and you may set yourself up for frustration. Instead, consider saying, “I want to be able to run x kilometres within y minutes. What would be a realistic timeframe to achieve this goal? How long and how many times a week do I have to run to achieve this?”
Try to define your writing goal according to each letter of the acronym to make it more manageable. You can read more about the S.M.A.R.T. Goals method here.
Try the Pomodoro Technique to achieve tasks
Once you have a clearly defined and realistic goal, another potential issue to solve could be the overwhelming size of the project. Instead of slowly chipping away at the project, you don’t know where to start and end up procrastinating instead. This is where the Pomodoro Technique could help you break down the project into manageable work intervals.
In a nutshell, this method consists of the following six steps:
1) Choose a specific task.
2) Set a timer for twenty-five minutes.
3) Work on your selected task for this time period.
4) Take a short break (five minutes).
5) Set the timer again and work for another twenty-five minutes.
6) Once you’ve completed three or four intervals, you can take a longer break (twenty to thirty minutes).
The advantages of this technique are that it forces you to focus on a specific task for a manageable amount of time instead of procrastinating. It can also help you become more organised. Once you realise that you can easily complete a specific goal in these time intervals, the sense of achievement might motivate you more. This is where you can add a small reward for yourself once you reach certain milestones.
You can find out more about the Pomodoro Technique here. You could even use this customisable timer .
Get started
The experience of writer’s block can be really frustrating and prolonged unproductivity can reinforce itself. Fortunately, many tools are available to help you overcome writer’s block. Feel free to try any or all of these methods to achieve your goal. Good luck!