Creative block in your way? Try these 4 simple steps

It’s a unique kind of pain to sit in front of an empty document or in front of a time-sensitive problem and have nothing come to mind. I speak from a writer’s standpoint, but creative blocks can happen to anyone attempting to get things done. In my experience, there is nothing that makes me feel more bird-brained than a creative block. Here’s what I do to push past the obstacle:

Get out of your own way

Sometimes the biggest enemy when it comes to solving a problem is ourselves. I know that when I’m blanking on a new project, I can start to spiral. Maybe this doesn’t happen to everyone, but sometimes when I can’t even think of a specific word that I know is hiding somewhere in my brain, I just melt down. I’ve learned to practice separating my ego from my projects.

It’s easier said than done, but the most important thing in problem solving is solving the problem, not being the one to solve the problem. You can use others as a springboard for ideas or inspiration and work together with those before you to move forward. In writing, when I have no ideas, I choose to read. Not to steal ideas, but to try to spark some idea or invention.

Change perspectives

How are you looking at the problem? With your own eyes? Sometimes I’ll jump into a story of mine and ask my characters which way to go. This improvisation is what makes dungeons and dragons such a fun game. If you have a task to begin, but you’re not sure how, try seeing things from a customer’s or client’s perspective. What would your audience like to see?

This technique takes a decent amount of flexibility, but it’s not out of reach. If you can empathize with other people, you can imagine what they would like to see as a solution or an idea. When writing or creating, this can be dangerous, because there’s artistic integrity involved, but at the very least, picturing the desired outcomes of someone else will get you started.

Take a nap

Yes, I’m giving you permission to take a break. Sometimes, a twenty-minute nap will serve you better than twenty minutes looking at a blank screen. I’ve received some of my best inspiration from the little dreams I have during a nap. Some would say it’s dangerous to make a habit out of napping, but chances are if you are obsessing over the problem before you fall asleep, your brain will find a solution itself and give it to you.

Even if you don’t receive divine inspiration from your subconscious, rest or time may be exactly what you need. I know it’s hard when there’s so much pressure to finish something as fast as you can, but the product may be better if you give yourself time to naturally work it out.

Just do something, anything

I came up with the idea for this article because I didn’t have an idea for this article. Honestly, I just started and the words flowed. I’m lucky, that doesn’t always happen. Still, I think if you just start going, even if it’s complete garbage or wrong, one thing will lead to another. Standing in front of your obstacle is letting it win because you aren’t moving forward. Break through and ruin its purpose.

You can start with a simple sentence or idea and develop a whole idea. “The frog hopped happily onto a stone” can become “As the unsuspecting frog hopped onto the highway, the sky above him crashed with thunder.” Go into the notes app on your phone or to a piece of paper and write some absurd sentence involving the problem you face. You may just find a thread to pull within.