Some days, it’s just hard.
You’re sat there, straining to push it out but getting nowhere.
You know you ‘should’ be writing – that blog, that course content, that story, those next 1000 words – but it’s blocked.
Don’t Call It Writer’s Block
I’m immediately going to dismiss the notion of ‘writer’s Block’, because when you give it a name, you give it power, and it’s not a thing, it’s just your own motivation and discipline!
You need to make the time, stick to it and do it. That’s how you start to build healthy habits.
Unintentional Writing
We’ve all had those days where we intend to write, sit at the screen and our mind goes blank. We’ll do anything to get out of it because it’s hard.
Don’t let yourself get away with it! Be true to your intentions.
If your boss was breathing down your neck telling you to, “write that blog or write that book chapter otherwise you’re fired”, you’d do it.
The best way to overcome the blank page is to start writing.
How do you write a book? One word at a time.
Little and often is the route to success
Write for no other reason than the experience of writing.
Unintentional writing is a powerful way to break through creative blocks.
Write for 30 minutes. Write whatever is in your brain, even if it’s…
‘I’m really struggling to know what to write because my brain is full of…’
It sounds weird and you might feel silly at first – but remember, no one needs to see it – but trust me, it really works.
The point is to clear through the fog and engage the muscle memory for writing.
See where it takes you!
Journalling
An extension of writing unintentionally is journalling. Check out Bullet Journalling if you want to learn simple techniques to make it more productive.
Journalling is a small act of daily productivity that supports your mental health and gets you into the routine of regular writing.
Make Time To Write Regularly
Like improving your level of fitness, it’s far more effective to do a little writing regularly than a couple of bursts of activity each month.
Pro Tips To Be Disciplined To Write
- Block out space in your diary at least once a week for a couple of hours
- Chunk the time into short burst, i.e. 30 minutes every other day
- Hold the space and protect it – don’t book anything else into that slot
- If you have to eat into your writing time, negotiate with yourself and swap out the time on another day
- Stick to it!
- Show up with a positive attitude. If you show up to your writing time thinking “This is hard.” Or, “This is indulgent, I shouldn’t do it.” Or worrying that you can’t do it or it won’t be perfect.. it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. Show up telling yourself that this is your time. You have been looking forward to this. This is for your own self care and mental health. this is your space to be creative, it is far more motivating and energising.
Happy Writing!