How to Overcome Creative Block?

Do you ever find yourself stuck up and unable to churn out new ideas? You keep trying hard to bring out that one such idea that you think will change the world but you’re just not able to get anything out. It’s like a brain freeze!

Following 15 tasks will surely help you to get your creative juizes flowing:

1. Shut Down Give yourself a break. Relax and stop thinking too hard. Good ideas do not usually come to you when you want them to, take some time away and go easy on yourself.
   
   
   
2. Start in a happy place. Have fun.
   Think about all the things that make you happy. It can be dancing, painting, poetry, your favorite cafe, watching a standup, or meeting your best friend. Just do the things that make you happy. It will help you to relax and clear your mind.
   
   
3. zzzz Sleep it out zzzz Turn off the lights, grab the softest pillow and your fav blanket and slip into a deep sleep. You’ll wake up with a fresh mind to start over. And If somebody tries to object, politely tell them to shut up, because you’re “thinking subconsciously” ;)
   
   
4. Read and Write
   Reading and writing skills are a must-have for a designer. You get exposed to diverse perspectives when you read and that will help you to unblock yourself and have a fresh perspective for your work. Write as frequently as possible. Keep a daily journal or start a blog. Writing things down will help you communicate your thoughts clearly and make yourself more aware of them.
   
   
           
   
   
5. Discuss Don’t spend all your time alone. Tell others about your project. Even though other’s can’t always help you to come with ideas, the discussion you have will definitely give you new perspectives.
6. Upside down technique Look at everything in the opposite way. For instance, if you’re trying to come up with an idea of a new function for your product, think what functions your product cannot have. Instead of thinking about what can be done, think about what could not be done. Find problems instead of finding solutions first.
   
   
7. The deadline might work for some
   Some people perform well under pressure. If you think you are one of them and you don’t have a really close deadline, assign one to yourself. Plan your work and don’t get caught into analysis paralysis.
   
   
8. Procrastinate
   Unless you don’t have a real close deadline to meet, procrastinate and try to get other smaller tasks done before the big one. Ideas come to us when THEY want to, not necessarily when WE want them to.
9. Make a list of your bad ideas Up until now, you must be thinking you’re only getting really bad ideas. Take a pen and paper and write down everything that you’ve thought until now. A great idea can even be hidden *between* those bad ideas. And if not the list may come handy some other time. Not every bad idea is a bad idea.
10. Change the way you travel  In Robert Frost’s words:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference. 
(not exactly what he meant) But take a different route to college/work. You never know, It may actually make a difference.

         
  

11. Change your routine Change the way you spent your day usually. Throw in some healthy habits that you’ve been wanting to for a long time and you may be surprised how well they can work for your creativity.
12. Clean up
    Yes, you heard that right. Cleaning the clutter and organizing your desk or your room will not only make it look better but it will make you feel better, just like the feeling of sleeping on a newly spread bed sheet!
13. Work Out Run, jump, skip, jog. Or better join a gym or start yoga. Working out will not only keep your body healthy but recharge your mind too.
    
14. Take a walk
    Long walks are amazing. Go for a nice walk and breathe in some fresh air. You may breathe in some good ideas as well.
15. Change your surroundings
    Get up and go out as soon as you finish reading this article, I’d suggest you to go to a place where you haven’t been in a long time, a bookstore, a museum, an art gallery, a playground or even your old school. Just go somewhere.
    
     

Hope these tasks help you! Let me know in the comments which ones worked out well for you to get inspired and what are some of your crazy ways to overcome a creative block.