Writing my first blog post wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. It gave me so much headache and increased my stress level so much that i asked myself “what’s the point of it all”. This led to me finding myself in a kind of mental rut i couldn’t understand.
I found myself totally blank and unable to string words together that i asked myself if i was really cut out for writing or it was just my mind and body playing tricks on me. Because if after so much of my initial excitement at beginning this new journey of writing, i can’t come up with what to write about then what’s the whole point of it all.
This happens to a lot of creatives, especially when you are embarking on new life paths or starting new things. After getting yourself comfortable with the idea of starting this new thing and you are finally at that point where you actually need to start, you begin to get stifled and confused. This moment is when the mental block begins to form.
You start procrastinating and telling yourself “oh i would get to this later” and you keep putting it off till you find out later a whole lot of time has passed and you still haven’t gotten anything done. Stressful right ? I bet so.
Below are some of my top 5 tips to help you escape getting blocked mentally.
Break down the project into smaller compartments
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you stare at the bulk of work you have to do. You look at this huge project and can’t seem to find where to start from. The best thing you can do at this point is to start from the very beginning which is to break down all the work into smaller units. That way you get to see the project not as one big obstacle but as smaller projects you can handle.
Create a To Do List
The next thing you need to do is to put all these broken down units of your project into different time slots for the day. That helps eliminate procrastination and also helps you feel relief as you complete each task.
Declutter your work space
It can be difficult to get any work done if your work space is scattered, with everything not being in it’s right place. So doing a bit of re-arrangement can help you feel more organized and get things done quickly.
Take a break
This could be as simple as taking a walk, reading a book or even binging your favourite series or movie. Anything to take your mind off the work at hand for the time being.
Get another perspective
Talking to a trusted friend or a senior colleague about the project can also help you with fresh perspective and also help pull every minute detail you might have omitted into focus.
Do more research
Doing more research about the work at hand can help you feel more competent and skilled enough to start.
Control your mind / thoughts
Quench every fire of fear or negativity within you. Focus on the positive. Control the talking chatterbox in your mind by fueling it with self motivating pep talks and words of encouragement.
Are there other tips you know that i might have possibly omitted, please do share in the comments.
