We don't talk about it much but one of the biggest challenges writers face is simply getting out of their own way. 

Do we really work against being our creative best?  Sure we do - so here are the habits we really need to kick to the curb in 2024. 

You're welcome.

1: By Being a Perfectionist.
If you’re constantly in critical, analytical mode your creative self doesn’t get a chance to breathe let alone flourish.  The minute you have a creative idea you jump on it for not being good enough.  So don’t do that…

Instead– mentally separate your creative time from your analytical time as in “now I’m in analytical mode” vs “now I’m in play mode”  Give yourself permission to just muck about with ideas with no expectation of outcome – you can go back to analytical mode later.  It might even help to do your creative thinking and work in a different place  than you do your analytical work.

2: By Feeding Your Creative Self A Bad Diet of Content.
What do you expect?  If you feed your head with bland, rubbish that’s what you’ve got to play with and will draw on. 

Instead– Get out of your comfort zone!  Seek out the interesting and inspiring.  Consume great works in whatever form that appeals (or not) – music, art, words – new ideas spark new ideas.  So challenge yourself to experience arts forms (and just activities) you don’t usually indulge in.  The more interesting stuff you feed your brainbox the more you’ve got to play with when it’s time to get creative.

3. By Waiting For Inspiration to Turn Up!
Inspiration tends to find you when you’re being creative – so even if you feel creatively flat just start – it’ll find you.

Instead- Just start writing and playing with ideas even if feels unwieldy.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo Da Vinci

Word.

4: By Constantly Seeking Distraction to Avoid Boredom
You might be surprised to learn that letting yourself get bored and doing nothing is great because it gives your brain the space to come up with things. I don’t mean endless, pointless thinking about life things.  I mean having ideas – which is hard to do when you’re filling every moment with noise and mental chatter. 

Instead- Calm the farm.  It won’t kill you to do nothing.  Try sitting quietly for ten minutes a day and just let your mind wander – I believe they used to call that daydreaming.

5: By Allowing Yourself to Be Distracted When You’re Writing
Mindlessly checking social media isn't stimulating your creative self (unless you're actively researching and looking for ideas.)

Don't kid yourself - this is just procrastination in a different hat.  All you’re doing is signalling to your creative self that this creative time isn’t important or valued.

Instead– turn off the distractions and focus on the creative task at hand.  It won’t kill you to not answer the phone or look at social media for an hour or two.  I think of this as respecting your creative space – by taking this action you’re communicating to your creative self that this is important and your creativity is welcome to turn up and stay.

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