We’ve all been there. Two minutes into writing you can feel it start to happen – the dreaded writer’s block. As PR professionals, this is something that comes about less frequently, but when it does, it can definitely throw a wrench in your day. Here are some recommendations we have for getting through the worst of writer’s block and on with your work:
Take a break.
Take some time and go on a quick walk, chat with coworkers, or grab a snack and give your brain the chance to relax. There’s a reason why we come up with our best and most creative ideas in the shower or while laying in bed, according to a May 2017 Inc. article, there are scientific findings that confirm your brain needs to relax in order to generate your best ideas.
Change your environment.
J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in her favorite café; Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls in Cuba. While traveling to a far-off land may not be possible, it’s possible to change up your everyday environment and to find a location that provides inspiration. If you’re sitting on the couch, move to a clean desk. If your office interior is uninspiring ask your boss if you can work part of the day from a café.
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Move your body and your mind will follow.
Go on a walk, lift weights at the gym, take a yoga class; get your blood flowing. Exercise not only combats stress, there is research from Harvard that suggests it might be able to improve the imaginative functions of the hippocampus.
Get rid of distractions.
According to a 2016 CareerBuilder survey, 3 in 4 employers say two or more hours a day are lost in productivity because employees are distracted. The two worst culprits are cell phones/texts followed by the Internet. Avoid the temptation to be distracted. Leave your phone in your bag or in another room and turn off the TV. Distractions like these will only make it harder to come out of your slump
Do something else creative.
Brainstorm your ideas, doodle, or even start writing about something else. Most of the time, you won’t be able to get much done while in a block, so taking a break to do something else creative may help get you out of a slump.
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Talk ideas out with someone you trust.
If words aren’t coming to you on paper, take the time to verbalize them with someone you trust who can give feedback and bounce ideas off of you.
Just start writing – anything.
The number one way to get over writer’s block is to just start writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s coherent or if the grammar is perfect, just start putting ideas and thoughts on paper and before you know it you’ll have a direction for your work.
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