Ten Ways to Get Unstuck

This is the fifth in a series of blogs that I’m posting in response to a challenge posed by Winnie Kao, a blogger who launched “Your Turn Project,” which urges wayward bloggers like me to post a blog every day for a week.

Today’s question is: “What advice would you give for getting unstuck?”

As a Creativity Coach, feeling unable to move forward on a creative project is the most common reason that my clients contact me.

To get yourself out of the ditch, here are 10 things that you can try:

1. Change a habit – work different hours, walk a different route to or from work, call someone you wouldn’t normally reach out to, read a magazine or book that you wouldn’t normally read, etc.

2. Take your creative project for a walk or a drive. Gardening, cooking or doing dishes can be equally effective.

3. Set a time limit for writing a passage, learning a song, doing a sketch, etc. Freedom inhibits creativity.

4. Do absolutely nothing for 10, 15, 30 minutes. (Set a timer.) Lie down, listen to music, and close your eyes. The best ideas come when the mind is relaxed. Keep a notebook handy.

5. Go down to the ocean and watch the waves or go to the forest and watch the trees waving in the wind. If you don’t have access to Nature, go window watching or people watching.

6. Think about a creative problem before going to sleep, allowing the subconscious to take over. Keep a pad and pen by your bed.

7. Dance to loud raucous music in your living room.

8. Speak the truth (with kindness) about how stuck you are, if only to yourself. It’ll free your creativity!

9. List all of the ways to make your troublesome creative project worse instead of trying to fix it.

10. Get some pen and paper, set a timer for 10 minutes, and rant in writing about how pissed you are at this effing project that refuses to bend to your will.

If none of the above work for you, you may need more support. If that’s the case, email me and let’s see if I can help you.

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