As a freelance journalist and full time retail manager, I find it hard to break through that accursed mental dilemma, ultimately known as “writers block”. However, I have found a few small changes to my day to day routine have successfully helped me continue my creative streak, with minimal “hitting-head-against-brick-wall”-ness.

To Do Lists

As any serial organiser will understand, To Do Lists are the bread and butter of daily life. For me, they include an hour-by-hour plan of my day ahead. Each and every list (I can guarantee) will include inserts including “Eat lunch” and “Take a Break”.

The To Do List is a way to structure your day. It allows you to fully understand what you need to do, and allot the time accordingly. You can properly prioritise the list, and can complete any tasks the next day if they do not finish.

Start out small, as this gives you a sense of achievement, and makes it easier to start those larger tasks that stare you in the face and make you go “Nope, coffee, more important.”

Start out early

Speaking from experience, if I start out doing the smaller jobs then I can carry on with the larger throughout the day. For those who work from home, it might even start out by doing the washing up. This small act of cleanliness – apart from creating new mugs for coffee-time – gets those motivational juices flowing.

Write without thinking

The topic can be anything. Writing without thinking can be the easiest way to motivate you when it comes to beating Writers Block. You can edit after, writing without thinking is the easiest and fastest way to get your thoughts on paper, before the day to day distractions can take hold.

I have found that getting the thoughts on paper with no regards for spelling, punctuation or grammar allows your mind to wander to other topics that could be interesting to write about. For example, I can be scribbling down an idea with accompanying paragraphs, and three more feature ideas are simultaneously appearing on random bits of paper.

Break Time

Time and time again, you will hear the words “Take a break; it lets your mind recover.” And this is true. The more you sit and write for, the more mentally tired you get. Taking a break every few hours gives you the chance to fully recover from the writing-marathon you have just undertaken, and leaves the way clear for future productivity.

Take a walk, have some water, do laps around your work area, it does not matter. As long as you leave enough time to fully recover, then all will be well. Checking Twitter and Facebook during break time is not productive. Leave all things technological behind, sit down and just relax.

Ignore everything else

This is a fairly large category, but ignoring everything unrelated to the task at hand is the easiest way to be productive. That tab open in your browser with Facebook on it, close it. The radio station blaring out music, turn it off. Adopt the mind-set that whilst you are writing, everything is out to distract you. You have time for it later, you need to write now.

Imagine you have two devils on your shoulder. One, the fun Devil, wants you to check Facebook/Twitter and see what your friends are doing. The other, the business Devil, is scowling at you, snarling: “Write, just write.” In break time, ignore both and just relax. In working time, ignore the fun one and listen to the business one.

It is fairly easy to destroy the Writers Block mentality; it just takes a bit of practice. Sometimes you may have a lot on your mind, but if you are passionate about writing, then you will find a way around it.

• Do you ever get Writer’s Block?
• If you do, how have you overcome it?
• What advice would you give to others?