it was going to be about writer's block, but that isn't a thing. and let's actually turn this into a creating-anything-and-feeling-blocked post. creative block teaches an important lesson that extends into many areas of our lives. and it isn't really a thing, either.
they both turn into less of a thing when they're reframed. a lot of goal-achieving and success comes down to mental flexibility and willingness to recalibrate what's going on up there in your brain.
so the first piece is thinking about what it means to start your task. say you want to write a book. that shit is daunting af. many of us may not ever complete a book. those of us who do will have completed it one word at a time, if i'm having trouble writing a book because i want an outline first, perhaps i'll start instead with a paragraph. it's a mind trick. you're likely to keep going once you build momentum. it's *mostly* better to start and stop than to never start at all. commit to spending five minutes on something a day, even if it's brainstorming. you'll warm your mind up.
now think about being late. i'm a person that was once late to literally everything. i'd even be late with myself. "at 10p, i'll be good to go to do ___________." somehow, i look up and it's 11:03p. and this was planning my own tasks; one can only imagine what it looks like for me to bring another person into my poor perception of time.
part of the reason i was late so often is thinking i had more time than i did or that time passed more slowly (which i've read, fun fact, is a sign of optimism or a success marker or something). for example, if i have to leave the house at 8a, and i know it takes 1 hour to complete everything, then it's more than possible if i wake up at 6, right? wrong. when i wake up at 6 and have to leave at 8, everything just takes twice as long because i know the time is there.
well creative block is like that. but instead of the cutoff time being 8, the cutoff time is basically never (or until one dies, i guess). so everything takes infinitely longer because you have what feels like endless time to do whatever creative thing.
it's about building habits. tasks like drinking water, eating, or peeing cannot be put off, so you don't even consider putting them off nearly as often as writing, painting, rehearsing, or whatever it may be. even if you don't *feel* like eating.
there's also the component of feeling so emotionally connected to it. you may not care if you pee your absolute best every time, but a creation of yours is actually sentimental (though pee is technically your creation).
with work/school/appointments that cost money, it's easier to avoid putting things off because negative consequences pile up quickly. a supervisor or a professor or a dentist will hold you accountable for when you say you're going to do __________________. why can't you do the same?
tl;dr:
1) reframe how you think of beginning a creative task. commit to five minutes only if you're having trouble.
2) be willing to do this reframing
3) remember that although time may feel infinite and plentiful at times, it is passing (though i lowkey do think it's an illusion)
4) hold yourself accountable like you work for yourself, because you do