We write for many reasons in our businesses. There are emails to be sent, blogs and newsletters to write, and social media posts to prepare. We know what needs to be done, but sometimes we stall, get frustrated, feel tired and can be difficult with ourselves if we don’t feel progress on a project.
Writing digital marketing content, articles, and scripts requires discipline, time and a routine to manage the multiple tasks involved. For business owners who don’t enjoy writing, have little time or struggle with finding the words to say, writing can become a real source of stress and anxiety. Therefore, this blog will share 7 strategies for overcoming stalling tactics, addressing writing motivation and overcoming writing blocks.
There is a popular YouTube influencer I occasionally watch, “The Minimal Mom”. Anyone reading this blog, who has kids and really works to find a system to keep your home sorted, you have probably watched Dawn’s videos a million times over. They have helped me a ton personally and professionally.
I have watched numerous videos about decluttering, designing systems and routines, and home organizing hacks to give me ideas on how to keep my busy household sorted. I also use systems and processes in my business and help clients with their operational and marketing strategies and processes.
Having a system can pull us out of the writing dumps. Just like decluttering a kitchen drawer or closet that stares at us if we avoid dealing with it.
When we employ strategies and processes to shift the energy of stuckness, we can overcome anything.
Mindset is the name of the game and learning mental and physical movement tricks to keep moving forward is where the solutions are at.
Here are my go-to strategies for you, to help you keep moving forward with your writing
7 Strategies to Overcome Procrastination in Your Writing
1. Follow the 5-minute rule
I first learned about this tip a few years ago on The Minimal Mom YouTube video “The Incredible Power of 5 Minutes” What I like about it is it works! Which means it could work for other tasks too. Like writing, a task people often procrastinate with, just like decluttering and cleaning home environments.
How this works for writers: grab a pen and paper or open your laptop, set a timer for 5 minutes and start writing. This can jumpstart your project and to-do list. Need to write a blog? Sit and brainstorm, mind map an outline. If you already have those steps in place, use the 5 minutes to pick a section of the outline and start writing.
When the 5-minute timer goes off, you can continue or give yourself permission to stop.
You can do this numerous times a day if you keep getting stuck. It will keep moving you to the next step, where you are no longer looking at a blank page, the creative energy can pull you forward.
Break the ice, start your timer and watch your page bloom.
2. Set up a reward
If you write for 15, 30, 60 minutes, etc, then have a cup of tea, go for a walk, and indulge in a fun activity. Recognizing this win of writing you got started, will encourage you to do it again.
Forcing willpower, debating motivation, and being judgemental or harsh with yourself when you are struggling with procrastination, anxiety or fatigue, only serve to trip further fears and resistance. Then you really do get stuck and mental blocks start to form. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge the work you have done.
3. Choose your best time of the day
Are you a morning person? By late afternoon are you tired and give up on writing anything? Perhaps by Friday afternoon you feel stressed because over the past 5 days, you still have a blank page, nothing started?
Do you like the peace of the later evenings when the house is quiet?
Do you like to get up and write before the rest of the house wakes up?
Know yourself and what feels right to you. Find your best creative and clear thinking time? This may take some experimenting.
4. Where is your writing playground?
What makes you feel like dancing in your chair when you write? Your laptop at the dining room table? Your desk at work? The library? The park? The local coffee shop?
5. Take a break if you are mentally tired
Do a different task or activity for a bit, have a nap, do some art, or go for a walk to clear your head (even if only for 15 minutes). You may get new ideas, know your next step, and be ready to start writing again. Make sure a break doesn’t create a habit of avoidance and excuses. You will know if the break is needed and constructive or if you are avoiding the task.
6. Let go of Perfectionism
We can create a whole mental story in our minds about details and what the end picture should look like. This stalls progress pretty fast. Approach it by doing your best and good enough is good enough. After you get it done and if you need to add polish you can, but you are not setting yourself up from the start. Rough drafts and edits get the momentum going. The toughest is usually starting with a blank page.
7. Ask for help if nothing is working
Writing for some is a struggle. Maybe you are more DIY and want to write your own copy because you love to write and have time. Other business owners may want to hand over the whole task to a trusted writer and focus on what they love in their business and what makes them happy.
Getting stuck in writing can be due to many reasons. This may include you are not finding it fun at all, it may be low on your priority list, and you avoid it due to fears of it not being good enough or thinking it will take you a long time. Not everyone loves to write like I do! There are things you may love to do that I would avoid doing. That is why you must choose what works best for you and be ok with it, even if you are the only person you know following your path. We all need to honour our gifts.
How to Find Help with Your Business Writing
What I DO Recommend
Ask an employee or family member to bounce ideas back and forth, have them read through your ideas and ask questions. They can look at your rough and final drafts, providing tips and suggestions.
AI can be a brilliant help. It is like having a personal assistant to give you content ideas and audience research, as well as giving you structure and a checklist for your writing. It can also be an editor (be cautious with this one though and keep your language tone and voice. Don’t let AI rewrite everything and then you publish it in AI’s voice. It will lack resonance and emotion).
Listen to positive podcasts about motivation, productivity and writing for beginners. It will give you ideas and methods that can help get and keep going.
Hire a writer, copyeditor or advisor (or a combination) on a project or retainer basis. Be sure to choose one who listens to you, and the voice and brand of your business, what you need and want in help. I’ve worked with clients who like to do the core writing themselves, then bring me to review, and make recommendations on the copy. Other clients have given me a topic and asked me to research, write, edit and proofread, upload the copy to their website. There are options and a good writer will hear your needs and work with you and your budget to help you move forward.
What I DON’T recommend
Being hard on yourself because you can’t make someone else’s system work for you.
Why? It drives down your confidence and belief in yourself, then nothing will get written.
Discounting how much knowledge, talent and answers you have inside you
Why? It is easy with an information-filled world at our fingertips to forget our own personal power, talents and abilities. Make listening to your own voice your priority, learn from others but be true to who you are – this is where the best writing comes from. Don’t compare your writing to anyone else’s.
Staying stuck in frustration and fear
Why? The problem will grow and take up valuable mental space, the writing won’t get done and you will be miserable. This will negatively impact your confidence and self-esteem in the long run.
Letting AI write everything for you
Why? As simple as it would be, the problem is your audience won’t connect with you or your brand. We are human, we connect with others through voice, emotions, body language, thoughts and ideas. You have a voice, your business has a voice, culture and brand. Let people connect with you and your company. People want to talk to people, not computers.
Conclusion
Remember to look for what feels good to you. We get bombarded with numerous different approaches online for how, when and what to write, as each person has to find their own method for getting moving with pen on paper. Experiment with the 7 strategies that speak to you, explore, and follow your curiosity. Don’t try and be someone you are not. Do you think mornings suck? Don’t do mornings. Do you like your headphones on while writing and others keep telling you you can’t concentrate? You decide what works for you. Let others be themselves.
Writing can be a deeply personal experience of carving your path forward and expressing your thoughts and ideas. This is for both personal and business writing. Allow what comes up to come up, judgment-free. You can edit later when the page is full of text.
When you’re done, or even after 5 minutes of writing give yourself a high-five from me! You made it to the other side.
Happy writing,
Lisa
PS. Looking for help in writing copy for your business? From business plans to blogs, newsletters and research articles, I’ve got you covered. Click the button below for a FREE 30-minute Call to see how I can help you.
