Five Ways to Conquer Creative Block

Writer’s block (creative block) is a lack of focused energy.

People often ask how I manage to keep my focus and productivity; and I admit it’s not easy!

Below, I’ll cover five ways to conquer creative block.

Factors that will contribute to your lack of focused energy — and bring a sense of creative blockage into a writing life —might include distracting & anxiety-inducing environments, a hectic or rushed schedule, and feeling overwhelmed by life’s many disruptions.

To write again, you must regain your composure and replenish your energy.

You must regain your composure and replenish your energy…

Here are five ways I conquer creative block and kickstart my restorative processes:

1: I tidy my workspace

It’s remarkable how my life grows disorganised due to clutter.

In order to have at least one accomplishment in every new day, fresh recruits in the military are instructed to clean their sleeping quarters first thing.

Although we can’t expect to straighten-out our entire lives and sweep-away all our problems, we can at least make our work spaces neater!

If you tidy your workspace today, take a picture and post it on social media. It’s something to celebrate!

2: I take a stroll

I go for a lazy walk every morning, come rain or shine. That’s because I’m running about these days, rushing here-and-there, squeezing every last minute out of my working day!

If I didn’t force myself to go for a walk, I wouldn’t have time to listen to the birds sing, feel raindrops on my face, inspect a freshly dew-spangled spider’s web, or smell the mud on my boots! I wouldn’t get a chance to settle: My mind wouldn’t get ‘space to breathe‘.

Walking, particularly in the morning, helps clear fog from an anxious mind. An early walk provides natural light, which increases cortisol levels and makes us feel more alert.

My morning walk helps enhance my respiration, improves my heart health, relaxes my muscles, and most crucially, provides me with a sense of well-being. All these things will deliver focus later in the writing day.

3: I eat breakfast

Many authors shun a healthy breakfast in favour of longer “writing time“. I see them on socials taking pride in “two coffee start ups.” However, research shows that eating a high protein breakfast improves cognitive function, aids memory retention, and jumpstarts a person’s attention span. Eating a high protein breakfast every day (eggs or whole grains) helps deliver my focus and productivity.

4: I hydrate

Almost all of an author’s brain is made of water ( in my case, it’s not much else 😊).

Water is necessary for production of the hormones and neurotransmitters that enable our authoring brains perform creative marvels. If you think you’ve drunk enough water today, I’m telling you that you haven’t! Glug some more!

We need to feel good before we work— not after!

5: I give my brain a dopamine boost ahead of writing

Most authors use a delayed incentive system, such as “If I finish the next paragraph, I’ll reward myself with a bit of chocolate, a slice of cake, or a handful of fruit & nuts.” However, this is backwards thinking!

We need to feel good before we sit down to write — not after!

Since dopamine is the feel-good hormone, deficiency brings about procrastination.

Indeed, this deficiency might tempt us to seek our “hit” somewhere else —perhaps by browsing social media or watching TV.

So, to avoid the dopamine deficiency, I enjoy a lump of chocolate before I start writing. I use the feel-goods ahead of working because my brain needs a dopamine boost to get itself chugging!

Do you have other tips or advice? Share them below.

Words: © Neil Mach 2024
Main image: Ivan Samkov

Neil Mach is a busy English novelist. He crafts stories centred around strong women, loners, and independent individuals.