How to Break the Cycle and Just Write
You sit down to write about your business, and you realize you’re rearranging the same sentence for 30 minutes. This happens to many people, even professional writers. It is very normal for business owners to overthink content writing and get overwhelmed when writing their own copy.
When you are an entrepreneur, you put hours of sweat and tears, hope and dreams into building a business. It matters significantly to you. You want it to succeed. You want your blogs, website, and newsletters to convey your brand and how you can help your clients solve problems.
Yet overthinking leads to overwhelm.
You’ve heard too much noise on social media about the correct and wrong ways to write copy, and suddenly writing a blog to connect with your customers becomes a mountain of thoughts, “don’t do it wrong!”. Then you go back on social media for help to get through the stress of that, and get more confused. You dig into YouTube videos and spend more time not writing. I see this so often in clients. It does not lead to a happy day.
The simple truth is, when in doubt, just write.
It can be short, it is talking on paper.
If you don’t understand SEO and algorithms, that is ok, just get writing and posting. You can learn the other pieces of the puzzle later or hire someone to take care of those details. If you don’t write for your audience, they won’t get to know you and your brilliance for how you can help them with solutions to their problems.
This blog will teach you how to spot overthinking, why it happens, and how to break the cycle.
Telltale Signs You’re Overthinking Your Copy
- You can’t finish your writing project because “it doesn’t sound right yet.”
- You rewrite the same paragraph multiple times in one sitting.
- You compare your copy to other websites and feel yours isn’t “good enough.”
- You delay publishing, hoping for “one more” round of improvements.
- You avoid marketing entirely because the writing part feels exhausting.
- You haven’t written anything – staring at a blank page, getting anxious. No typing, no pen on paper, no dictation into your phone – paralysis.
What this means is it is simply an obstacle to become aware of. You can absolutely learn how to work past this struggle. You are smart, you can overcome this, your inner drill sergeant and critic, your “what if” side, has simply gotten a little too loud. Next, I will provide you with more insight into common ways this happens in writing.
5 Reasons Why Small Business Owners Overthink Writing
We all get triggered emotionally. It matters how we respond to it. We can let it shut us down and not write a word, or we can recognize a deeper fear, an old wound, possibly a trigger of feeling not good enough and choose to move ourselves forward.
This is where I see business owners get stuck and not write content for their business.
- Perfectionism kicks in – wanting every word to be just right before moving on
- Fear of getting it wrong – worrying about sounding salesy, boring, or irrelevant
- Attachment to the business– it’s personal, so the stakes feel high
- Too many voices in their head – conflicting advice from blogs, videos, mentors, and peers
- Lack of clarity – no clear target audience, offer, or brand voice, and every sentence feels uncertain
How to Stop Overthinking and Just Write
The biggest piece of advice I have for you is – take a breath, I know you can write, you can ask for help and put one foot in front of the other. You’ve got this.
If you still find yourself struggling, here are tips to help you write your project. A project could be a blog, email, newsletter or report. These tips are about creating focus and structure and won’t work for everyone, especially if you prefer a more creative, go-with-the-flow vibe. Which, in effect, often makes it easier to write. For everyone else, a little structure goes a long way.
- Set A Clear Purpose First
Decide what the goal is for this written copy. In marketing copy terms, this is a call to action. For example, you may want your reader to book a call, sign up for a newsletter, or buy a product.
- Use A Simple Structure
- Start with a problem
- Explain why it matters
- Show your solution
- Tell them what to do next
- Set A Timer For Your Writing
Give yourself 25–30 minutes to write a draft without editing. Set your environment to be free of distractions, turn off your phone and email notifications, grab a cup of tea and get started
- Separate Drafting From Editing
Draft first, edit later. It is easy to start fixing your writing as you go along, but trust me when I say, just get it down on paper, you can go back later to edit. A first draft is just getting ideas down on paper. Editing has stages starting from editing ideas, flow, moving text around, to a final edit known as a proofread (this is where you focus on grammar and punctuation).
- Use AI Prompts Or Templates
If you feel stuck, have a few ideas but don’t know how to structure or create an outline, just plug your ideas into ChatGPT and ask for help. Depending on the AI’s response, you will be wowed and say, “My ideas are really great, I just needed help to see them organized in a new way!” You can also have AI ask you questions. What would you ask?
- Focus On Your Audience, Not Yourself
Imagine explaining your service to one ideal client over coffee. You are in business to serve and help others meet their needs and solve problems. You provide specific solutions; therefore, when you write, think about the ideal person you are helping and write to them in your own words.
Final Encouragement
Done is better than perfect; your audience can’t respond to words you never share. This blog has looked at when you get stuck writing, how to see the signs of overthinking and why it happens. I identified six tips to help you structure your writing to help make the project easier to work through. Ultimately, the more you publish, the easier writing becomes.
Need help getting your marketing copy out of your head and into the world? I help small business owners create clear, compelling copy that feels authentic and gets results.
Click the button below to book a FREE 20-minute consultation today. I can help you identify the next steps to make writing for your business easier.