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The Productive Writer: Conquer Writer's Block · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm introducing a short week-long series on becoming a more productive writer.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive into the biggest productivity killer, at least the biggest perceived productivity killer for writers, and that is writer's block.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So whatever you're working on right now, you're bound to get stuck at some point.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever you stumble upon quote unquote writer's block, here are 10 tips to keep the words flowing.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive right into this.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, this is kind of a weird one, but just hang with me for a second.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is lower your standards.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, many times we just get stuck because we're trying to make something perfect.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I would encourage you, be willing to write garbage just to get a draft done.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then you can always go back and revise it.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: But just lower your standards, dive right in there and just get something done, even if it's not that great, because then you have something you can work with.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, brainstorm ideas on a whiteboard, legal pad, or post-it note.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: When you change the size of the canvas, that often helps you get past your writer's block.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, this is going to sound kind of counterintuitive, but number three is take a nap.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: The reality is you might just be tired.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: History is replete with examples of famous creative people who took naps in order to be more productive and creative.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, take a walk.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you take a walk, the blood circulates in your body more and you're more alert and attentive.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's really amazing how many problems get solved in your head and how many things get worked out emotionally just by going for a 10 or 15 minute walk.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, play with a toy.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I keep a couple of fidget spinners on my desk as well as some other random toys and just things to kind of fidget with.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And one of my fidget spinners is in the shape of Captain America's shield, and the other one is in the shape of Thor's hammer.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: My son actually got both of these for me for Christmas.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And my wife was actually making fun of me just a couple days ago, which is nothing new, by the way.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: We we make fun of each other all the time in the most playful, fun way possible.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: We've been married a really long time, 26 years, so we have a lot of fun in our house.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: But she was making fun of me the other day because I kept playing with these like a little five-year-old.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, that's what they're for.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: They're just to have fun with and um just to play with and and have a good time with.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: But I find that even more than just being a toy, those fidget spinners give me something to do.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: They give my hands something to work with so that my mind can then solve problems.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure how that works or why it works, but it works for me really well.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd recommend getting a couple toys or fidget spinners or whatever.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Keep those on your desk, and it really does, it's really pretty amazing how well those work and helping you get past writer's block.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, get up and drink a glass of water.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us are dehydrated, and this activity, the activity of getting up and getting a glass of water, will refresh both your body and your mind.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, do free writing for three minutes.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you've never heard this term before, free writing is just letting your hand write whatever comes to mind without stopping or judging yourself.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And when you free write, it clears your creative palate and lets your subconscious take over for a bit.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, it kind of gets the roadblocks out of the way whenever you let your subconscious just take over.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think many times we get blocked because we're just trying too hard.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you've ever woken up from a dream like this literally happened to me this morning.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm recording this on Monday afternoon.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Last night I had three really elaborate long dreams.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what they were about doesn't make any difference.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the time, dreams are just kind of random things that your brain is putting together.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: But I woke up and I thought, man, those were so creative and so detailed.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Why can't I be that creative when I'm awake, you know, in my normal actual working time?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: But the reality is that our subconscious minds are really, really creative if we'll just let them be that way.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: And free writing helps to unleash that creativity that's in your subconscious mind a little bit.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Number eight is switch locations.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage you to, if you feel blocked, go to another desk or another part of your house to get some writing done, or you can go somewhere else entirely, like the library or a coffee shop.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that change in scenery really helps to spark your creativity.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number nine is to switch media.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you typically write on your computer, switch to a legal pad or a journal.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Or you can use a different writing tool like a marker or a crayon.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: And when you do that, it helps your brain to make a switch that breaks that block.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Again, you probably have noticed a theme here, which is doing something different and switching to either some other kind of activity or doing something physically or switching to a different media or whatever it is.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then number 10 is to read something for 10 minutes.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Preferably read something in print, not on a screen or on your computer.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And this change in media, in addition to the fact that you're holding something tactile and you're taking in information or stories rather than having to feel the pressure to create those, really gives your brain some new input and again can help break that creative block.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I also want to give you three bonus tips because I'm cool like that.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Number 11 is do a mundane task.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if you feel really blocked, take a 20-minute break from what you're doing and do a mundane chore like dishes, yard work, or folding laundry.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: And this is similar to walking in that it gives you something physical to do.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: And the new energy and the change of pace will give you some new ideas and solutions to your writing block.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Number 12 is write your content as an email.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: I oftentimes try this and it works really, really well, surprisingly.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm feeling stuck, sometimes I'll open up my email app on my computer and I'll just write in that, whatever it is that I'm working on.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a blog post or maybe it's stuff for one of my own books or podcasts or whatever.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it really does work.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason it works is because you feel like you're writing an informal message to a friend rather than creating something with what feels like higher stakes, like a blog post or a book chapter.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: I know it sounds crazy, but it really does work.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, number 13, and this is one of my favorites, and that is use a timer.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: So here at my desk, here at my home office, I keep a little five-minute hourglass timer that has sand inside.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever I feel blocked, sometimes I'll make a game out of this by turning the timer upside down and seeing how much I can write before the sand runs out.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I did this just two or three nights ago.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was trying to get a client chapter draft done by a certain time.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And my reward was that I would get to go down to the convenience store to get something to drink with my son.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: But I said, if I don't get it done by then, then we can't go.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the ways that I motivated myself was to use this little timer and just write in little five-minute chunks.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: I know it sounds silly.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Some of these may sound a little bit juvenile, but they really, really do work.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're feeling a little bit blocked or a little bit stuck, these tips can honestly make a really huge difference for you.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's challenge.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Choose one of these tips to help you conquer writer's block today.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I promise they work.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.