Note: This is Day 27 in the “Recharge Your Creative Batteries in 31 Days” Challenge. For the rest of July, we’ll be posting different ways for you to get yourself on the path to living in a creative flow and reaching your writing goals. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any.
Sometimes when you feel blocked and you just can’t seem to write anything good, it’s time for a break. Not a long break, but a break that’s long enough for you to step away from your writing and get some recharge time.
Taking a break isn’t a bad thing. I know some writers see breaks as breaks in their creative thought patterns or breaks in their flow, and that’s fine.
But if you’re someone who gets overwhelmed when you feel blocked, it’s always best to step away for a little while.
A Creativity Walk
Since I own my own business, I spend a lot of time working at home, and while I do love it, the challenge comes in when I need to get away. What’s really helping me right now are what I call “creativity walks.”
Throughout my day, when I come to stopping points, I grab Weiland’s leash and we head outside for a quick jaunt. Just being outside and having time to step away and focus on being with my dog makes a huge difference to my work when I return to it.
Sometimes all solving a creative problem requires is stepping away for a short period of time. Even ten minutes can make a difference.
When you get your mind stuck on something, you’re in a sense blocking the answer from coming to you. And focusing on it more won’t change anything.
But when you step away and do something else, you’re allowing the creative problem to “marinate” in your subconscious. What happens is you’ll usually have an answer pop up when you least expect it to.
Amazing how that works.
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How do you solve your creative challenges when you seem to be “stuck?”
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[...] A Simple Way to Find Answer’s to Your Creativity Problems by Jennifer Blanchard at InkyBites [...]
Walking is a fantastic idea. It solves so many problems. Something about keeping your body otherwise engaged while you’re thinking is wonderfully creative. I have one other trick: mindmapping! This is a magic bullet to me. If you’re interested in reading more, here’s a post I’ve written on it:
http://www.publicationcoach.com/why-i-insist-on-blathering-about-mindmapping/
Thanks for linking to that post. I don’t use mindmapping as much as I should, but it’s a really great tool. You’ve inspired me to give it a try again!
I’d heard the term “mindmapping” years ago but never really knew what it was about. But I will check out the link and educate myself! : )
Mind mapping is great for brainstorming purposes too
A walk on the treadmill, staring out the front window, helps me sometimes. Also, at night before I fall asleep, I give the girls in the basement instructions about what to work on while I sleep. It’s amazing how often I have my answer in the morning. Usually while showering.
Barb
Interesting, instructions for what to work on while sleeping. I’m going to try that!
[...] way, you can stop worrying about putting in hours of work. The brief breaks can refresh you — and the short work periods add up without being [...]
[...] you need to calm your mind, a quick 10-minute walk often does the trick. Sometimes creative people can become anxious when preparing to do their [...]