Thursday, January 31, 2013

5-Minute Cures for Blogger's Block

Acting Balanced



I've had the hardest time coming up with a topic today.

I've got a list of topics for April, due to pre-planning for the "Blogging from A to Z" challenge. (Check back tomorrow for more information on that.)  I've also got a list of topics for February (with a theme of "love" - I know.  Original. Right?)  But today, I've been staring at the two graphics above, trying to figure out something of value to write.

Well, just about half an hour ago, I started thinking of things I could do in 5 minutes or less that would get my mind off a blank page and let my subconscious take over for a few while I was engaged in some fairly mundane task.

So, here's what I came up with, off the cuff:

  1. nail care (paint, trim, file, etc.)
  2. exercise (treadmill, jumping jacks, bicep curls ... whatever)
  3. call a friend
  4. pay a bill
  5. pray or meditate
  6. plan a meal
  7. answer an email
  8. take your dog outside.
  9. wash your vehicle's windshield
  10. stomp on some aluminum cans for recycling.
Not all earth-shattering, or even game-changing.  And I guess the closest I came to actually using one of these was the pray or meditate.  I went outside with my notebook and my husband's pen.

It was not as productive a session as yesterday, when reading a blog post about a Valentine's advent calendar inspired me to write a list of 100 occasions for which you could make an "advent calendar".  If you've never used a "list of 100" as a journaling technique, I highly recommend it.

My point is that in the process of coming up with a list of things I could to in five minutes to get out of my rut, it occurred to me that writing about the process of getting out of my rut would make a pretty good post!

So, what do you do when the ideas are not coming as fast as you would like?  Tell us in a comment.  You never know who may need the very idea that you post!

NOTE:  I don't know why going to the list changed the text alignment to center.  Any ideas?  Besides that, I like the way the list shows up when centered.  Kind of like a Christmas tree!

14 comments:

  1. I go through that sometimes - not having anything to write about. I figure, I can always post a recipe or something on days when my kids don't give me any ammo to write about :)

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  2. Thanks for visiting the porch, MM. That's true, I never thought of using kid stories to fill in dry spells. They sure keep us stocked, don't they?

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  3. A neat little post there. Thank you for hooking up with Thirsty for Thursday. Sorry for it taking a couple of days to get around to comment. It was a crazy week.

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  4. Great ideas for clearing your mind and taking a moment away so you can come back a bit refreshed and find something to write about.

    I find that when I step away and try to clear my mind, things start coming to me better...Sometimes we just get mind clutter.

    Irish Carter
    www.dedicated2life.com

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  5. Sometimes I just start writing. Somehow, my babbling in writing carries me through. Then again, that's how I write! ;-p Other than that, a good, refreshing walk always gets my mind going, especially if it's the middle of the night.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  6. thanks for the ideas! btw tomorrow i have a post on a valentine advent calendar, haha.

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  7. Your post turned out great seems you got "unstuck" giggle. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things hop xo P.S. the new giveaway started Friday :-)

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  8. I sure did, Katherine. I'll be checking out that giveaway, for sure. :O)

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  9. Thanks for visiting, Elle. I got a lot of good ideas from your post!

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  10. No worries, Wayne, you see how long it took me to get to responding to the comments. Just glad to "see ya" on the porch. :O)

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  11. Hi, Irish, glad to have someone who promotes happiness on the porch. WB anytime!

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  12. I have worked with that method too, Shannon. I start out, "I hate staring at the blank page...." and that can lead to some pretty interesting places.

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  13. Some great ideas to help spark something to write about. I had doing some posts based on the 100 things list and should really sit down and do them. Thanks for the reminder!

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  14. I love that technique, Tara. Glad to see it works for lots of folks. C'mon back anytime...bring the monkeys if you like. They can join our zoo. *LOL* :O)

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