Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.
7 tips to help you beat writer’s block and procrastination
Writer’s block or just procrastination—either one results is a drop in productivity for writers. Each and every writer has experienced lack of productivity at some point in their career. And what you do to re-motivate yourself when you’re in a slump, from taking a walk to pulling your hair out, can ease frustration and put you back on a course to productive and efficient writing.
For instance, I use the following are seven tips to increase my writing productivity…
1. Create a writing space for yourself
It is important that you carve away a space (it can be at home, at an office, or wherever) that feels good for writing. Regardless of what type of space you create, it should be uncluttered, free of a lot of foot traffic, and free of loud noise. For instance, my home office has a door that shuts for privacy, a lot of natural light, and I even decided to buy a new chair and a new ergonomically fitted desk for comfort.
2. You have to start somewhere
Oftentimes when we suffer from writer’s block, it’s the act of actually putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard that’s the hardest. A starting point…it can be an idea or a first sentence…doesn’t have to be set in stone. Instead, take the pressure off by viewing this as a springboard. You’re not going to get perfection in the first draft anyhow, so just start free writing and you’ll find your springboard.
3. Brainstorm
Ideas can pop up anywhere and oftentimes we don’t have a pen and paper handy to jot them down. Start taking a small recording device (or use the one on your smart phone) with you throughout the day, and use it to capture ideas, titles, topics of interest, and brief plot descriptions while you’re on the go.
4. Approach writing with a clear head
If your head is cluttered with the meeting you have to get to, a family issue, or what you’ll be making for dinner, you can’t expect to write anything of quality. Instead, clear your workspace and your mind of all unassociated distractions and let yourself be immersed in the act of writing.
5. Let personal experiences inspire you
I’m always more entertained by a blog post, article, or story when someone tells it using their unique perspective. By drawing in some of your own personal experience, you can become an expert in a topic you know little about. Plus, it humanizes whatever experience you are trying to describe to your readers.
6. Morning pages
I write these pages first thing in the morning when I wake up. Without leaving bed, I turn to my side table, grab my notebook and pen and just start writing the first thing that comes into my head. Every day this book sees three pages of my uninterrupted, unedited brain drivel. However, this is what frees up my head space to get down to serious writing. It helps me focus and exclude all distractions, plus this no pressure approach to the first thing you write in the morning seriously boosts your self-esteem.
7. Don’t be afraid to mix up your surroundings
A new environment lends new inspiration and perspective to your writing. I like to mix it up a few times a week—writing in my home office, on my back deck, finding a tucked away café, or even a public Wi-Fi area where it’s not too distracting. You’d be surprised what a fresh perspective can do for your productivity levels.
About The Author: Gina M. Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, your choice place to buy an Eames chair. She enjoys decorating the bedrooms for her active twin boys and writing about home dÈcor – especially when it comes to the spaces she ís most intimate with.