Have you ever reached a dead end in a project? Experienced writer’s block right in the middle of an article? How do you overcome this problem?
If you are anything like I used to be, you sit staring at the blank page until you force the words to come out of the end of your pen. You know the answer if there, but you just can’t see it. So you punish yourself for being so stupid by forcing creativity.
Yes, that’s what it is, forcing creativity. Two words that should never be used in the same sentence. So if forcing doesn’t work, what’s the answer? Procrastinating. Yes, I thought that would get your attention. But I’m lying. It’s not exactly procrastinating. It’s having more than one project going at the same time. When you reach that point were your flow dead ends, move on. Don’t question. Don’t blame yourself. Go on to another open project that you have waiting just for this opportunity.
My hard drive is full of half-finished projects awaiting that final key that will make them great. Oh, I guess I could have finished them just to have them finished, but I would have settling for something that didn’t meet my standards. I have a newsletter, a web site, ebay auctions, software projects , and unfinished articles and ebooks. This is why I mentioned procrastinating. From the outside it would look like this is what I am doing, but it is actually a well thought out process. Let me explain.
Sometimes the conscious mind is too structured to see the most obvious, complete answer to a simple problem. You hit a dead end and you can’t figure out where to go, not because there isn’t an answer to this problem, but because you have an idea what the answer is. In fact, you know its right there. The problem is, you’re wrong and you’re too blind to see it. All you are doing is going down the same unproductive path. You need to step back. Let it go and something magical will happen.
Forget the problem, move onto the next project, and out of the blue, in the shower, at the movies, or brushing your teeth, you will have a epiphany. That article will complete itself in your mind. That ad you have been working on for days will come to you complete and whole, written to perfection, like a gift from the gods. This brings up another point: start carrying a small notebook or tape recorder with you. These answers really do come at the most inopportune times.
In other words, trust your subconscious. It will search to complete your project for you. Let it do its job. It has access to everything you have ever read or seen and will put these resources to good use. The key is to never give it another thought. Put the dead end project away as if you plan to never touch it again. The instant you let go of it, your subconscious begins to work. And the next time someone calls you a procrastinator, take it as a compliment and smile. They wouldn’t understand.
Stephan Miller
http://www.stephanmiller.com
