It seems so fun and amazing to be working at a place that requires us to think creatively.

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But we all come across situations where we either do not feel like working or want to work but can’t focus on it. There might be days when we can't think of even a single idea despite working the entire day.

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This is what is a creative block. It feels weird when we are in the middle of a project and facing a creative block. But it is what it is, we need to understand that it is a part of the process and guess what? it has a good side to it.
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Wondering how? Read on.

Why do we face creative blocks?
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It is a natural phenomenon where our brain stops producing those wonderful ideas at some point of the day. Other reasons might include but are not limited to:

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1. Seeking perfection in every idea you come up with: It is human tendency to seek perfection in things, but the truth is too much perfection might be harmful to the process. There will always be ideas that are not up to the mark. By seeking perfection we come in the way of the brain to stop thinking and it results in finding fault in every idea or solution. So just don’t fear imperfection instead embrace it.
   
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2. Sticking to a monotonous routine: At times having monotonous routines or not having a correct routine also acts as a barrier for our creative process. Our personal tasks might come in between and hamper the creative flow. Thus by not having the right balance between the personal and professional sphere makes it difficult to focus on work.
   
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3. Having self-doubt. This goes without saying that self-doubt is the biggest obstacle while working. We need to trust ourselves and our work more than anything.
   

But wait, you’ve got a deadline!
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Now we know that a creative block can happen to any one of us. Yet we do not want to sit idle all day long when we have a deadline commitment. So, let us dive into some of our own tested tricks to get over a creative block and get back to work. The foremost would be—do not force creativity. ‍

Creativity is something that we can never force out of ourselves. We need to enjoy the process when we work to reap out the results we want to. How about trying to let the ideas come out naturally and with the flow? A great tip would be to not spend a lot of time overthinking and instead keep going ahead. We can improve the ideas later on as we go.

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Let's look at few more tips to fight that creative block:

‍P.S. — Every person has their own way of dealing with a creative block. What works for you might not work for me. So we need to find our own thing by trying and testing various tips (take it slow and enjoy this process too).

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1. Stop and step away from the workspace.

‍We usually tend to spend hours sitting at the same place and working without any breaks. But this hampers our creativity. Instead, we should give ourselves breaks in between and go out for a walk or sit down and listen to our favorite songs. This will help us give time to the brain and body to relax and eventually get over a block.

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2. Engage in mundane activities or tasks.

‍At times we face creative blocks just because we have a lot of decisions to make. We need to set up the action plan for the week, send the final draft to the client, and brainstorm for the new project too. But can not think and decide what to do?

Let us give the brain some space and rest and do mundane tasks like cooking, cleaning, etc. This will reduce the fatigue of making decisions.

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3. Find inspiration around you.
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Don’t wait for inspiration to come knocking on the door instead discover ways to find it. Talk to people about work to get inspiration or a new perspective. At times we get stuck on a single idea but having a change in perspective might help us out. You can also go out of your comfort zone and try new ways of solving your problem. For instance, when looking for inspiration, nature could be our best friend.

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So inspiration is all around us, just the right eye and we are good to go.

4. Face failure and fears.
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As I said we might not always come up with amazing ideas. Thus we need to accept our own imperfections and try to improve on them. Once we do that we will see a change in ourselves on how we work and do things. Also, we never know when those imperfect ideas seem perfect in their own way.

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5. How about having good food and just sleeping?
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Hey, who does not like to just doze off and forget about other things! This is personally the best solution that helps me too which is to just sleep and take rest. It is absolutely fine to take rest and sleep rather than banging your head to get some brilliant ideas (which might seem impossible especially when you have a block). So just sleep … and relax.
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It might sound weird or out of context but do not fear when you have a creative block. It is okay to have one and spend the day doing other things and not being able to come up with creative ideas. Creativity should always be fun and should not be taken with pressure. Go easy with yourself and love what you do or come up with.

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PS. All kinds of efforts, not only creative work, face a certain period of non-productiveness where things just don't seem to move or fall in place. It's good to begin by acknowledging it rather than forcing yourself to do something about it. But, remember, not all unproductive phases are creative blocks. They can be us procrastinating, deferring work due to unpreparedness or simply, not knowing what to be done. In that case, try to get answers to your questions and doubts. Try to have full clarity on the task at hand.

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