I don’t know about you but I’ve realized it’s not that easy to keep your creative juices flowing. There comes a time when our minds are tired. Tired from all the thinking because there’s so much we want to do but we don’t know how to do it, that we end up not doing it at all. As you can imagine, even writers do get a mind block as well, if you haven’t already heard of writers block. A dry spell is when your mind just refuses to work and you’re completely blank. The worst is when you’re given an assignment and you know you have to meet deadlines but you really can’t seem to focus or get it done.

What do you do when this happens?

1. Relax, and enjoy your surrounding environment.

A lot of the time, you get overwhelmed because you have been doing too much.  What you need to do is sit back and just let it be. This is the time for you to take in your surroundings and see what the world has to offer. I usually get a lot of inspiration from conversations, nature, reading a book, watching TV, and listening to music, basically paying attention to the things that are happening around me. The moment I leave my desk and give my work a break, I allow myself to think constructively. That’s the time I’m able to put the bits and pieces together that will get me back to where I need to be.

2. Always write down a ‘to do’ list. 

Do you have a ‘to do’ list of the things you wish to get accomplished? As a creative my thoughts overflow when I least expect it, example when I am enjoying a nice shower. I don’t know what it is about that shower space that gets my mind flowing. I mean, it’s not like I can get off the shower and grab a pen and start writing or scribbling. It also happens when I’m in bed and I can’t sleep which has to be the laziest time to try and get up to jot things down. The point is, doesn’t matter what you’re doing, write it down as soon as the inspiration comes. Writing it down will help you at the time you need it most. Being able to go back and refer to something you were meant to recall or do can help keep you busy and always keep your creative mind at bay.

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3. Go back to your unfinished projects.

If you are like me, you probably have a lot of unfinished and pending projects waiting for you on your desk. All you need to do is back track on what you were doing and tackle them one by one as you go. You will find that the reason you stopped doing previous work is because you found something more exiting to do at the time. Usually most creatives suffer from wanting to do so many things at once. What usually happens is that when something new comes along, you abandon the old stuff and then you end up forgetting about it. Therefore, find out what you left hanging, this is where that ‘to do list’ comes in handy. Most likely the negative attitude towards the pending work will have changed for the better.

4. Understand that you can only do one thing at a time.

You will find that having so many things to do will leave you with nothing to do. There is no way you will be able to do everything at once. When this happens, it is important to learn how to prioritize your projects. Just because something more exciting comes along, doesn’t mean you stop what you are doing. Note down projects as they arrive, complete the current work first, and then move on to the next. Don’t be the person that’s too busy doing nothing. Besides, if you do it all at once it will take you a longer time to finish, than if you were to do one thing at a time. Remember it’s better to constantly put out something in a period of time, than wait for a long time to finish everything at a go, and then put multiple things out at the same time. A lot of the time, when you put out multiple things at once they go unnoticed because people don’t like being overwhelmed. Less is always more.

5. Research

Research is so important for the mind. Thank God for the internet. I say this a lot but gratitude goes a long way as there’s so much information given to you for free out there. All you have to do is seek that inspiration. It won’t always come to you when you relax and sit around looking at the birds and the trees, waiting for the whisper in your ear. You actually have to go the extra mile and seek out what you’re looking for. Besides, there’s so much that someone else knows that will benefit you more than you will ever be able to figure out on your own. Think of it as a shortcut to knowledge, so use the information wisely!

I hope sharing some of my ways to out of a dry spell will help you as well. If you have any other points to add you can add them in the comments below.