We’ve all been there. One minute you’re coming up with ideas left and right, then all of a sudden you’re drawing a blank. You sit there staring at your screen trying to force ideas to come, but it’s just not happening.Frustration sets in…Self-doubt…Thoughts of giving up…The solution to this problem is a lot simpler than you might think. Well, maybe not simple in practice, but the idea is simple.
Here are a few tips to get the juices flowing and your idea back on track:
Just Walk Away
No, I don’t mean quit. I mean get up, walk away for a while, and do something completely different. If you sit there trying to force creativity, you’re just going to burn yourself out and your brain’s going to be like, “You know what? I don’t care anymore. I’m done.” Go for a walk, grab some food, play an instrument – anything that gets you away for a bit.
Just write whatever comes to mind
Sometimes all it takes to write… is to write. Let whatever ideas come into your head flow onto the page. Sure, it will look like a mess at first, but once you have something to start with, you can focus on cleaning it up. Get as much down as possible, then go back and make edits – it’s better than staring at a blank page for hours.
A change of scenery is always nice
If you spend all your time writing in your office, try packing up your things and heading to a coffee shop, park, or library. Being somewhere new does wonders for your brain because it forces you out of your comfort zone. New sites, smells, and sounds can make you think differently than you typically would sitting in an old familiar place.
Change the time of day you usually work
If you get up early every day to start working, try working later in the day. Maybe go to the gym in the morning, get some errands out of the way, and then start working. If you’re normally a midnight oil burner, try getting up early to work. Sometimes when your brain is in the same pattern for too long, it gets boring and drains your creativity.
Practice mindfulness
This doesn’t always mean meditation – but if you’re into that, then great! There are tons of benefits of meditation, but you don’t have to sit cross-legged closing your eyes, and taking deep, slow breaths (unless you want to). Simply taking a few minutes of your day to recognize how you are feeling can be incredibly beneficial. The more closely connected you are to your body, the less stress and worry you will feel. Mindfulness is a fantastic way to let go of whatever is holding your creativity back and get back on track.
Peruse some other creative works
Read some of your favorite authors, watch a great movie, or listen to music that makes you think. Creativity can be contagious – leech some creative juices from other innovative people.Give some of these of a try and see what happens. You might surprise yourself and realize all your idea needed was a little boost to get back on track. If none of these work for you, that’s okay. Experimentation is key. You’ll find something that does the trick eventually to regain motivation when your small business is in a slump.
