Today's guest blogger is Allison Volk. is the founder of The Blog Babe, a ghost writing service that creates consistent and information-packed weekly articles for entrepreneurs who are ready to rock their online presence. More information at www.TheBlogBabe.com.
It’s 4:50 pm on a Monday afternoon and you have a blog post to write. Not just any post – but a good one. One that engages your readers and nurtures a sense of trust and communion with your ideal clients.
Your intention is to compose a blog post that touches, moves and inspires the people who are aching for your work.
And so you sit, fingers poised over the keyboard – twitching slightly, perhaps, in the sweet anticipation of contact with the keys.
Those lush calls to action! Those juicy tips and plump bonuses! They’re dying to spill out onto the page; they want to connect with an audience that will eat them up.
But still you sit, poised to begin and yet unable.
The cursor blinks back at you, mockingly.
It knows.
With each empty blink in your face, it knows.
It knows that you have nothing to write about, and yet, it still flickers back, passively pretending that it doesn’t have a clue of what is really going on.
“What?” it would ask you, if you pointed out the subtle insult. “I’m just doing my job!” it would say with a sneer.
It knows what you have been resisting admitting to yourself: writer’s block has settled in, and at the worst time. Instead of forcing your way through, go do something else.
Really. Go wash the dishes (if you work from home, like I do). Go take a shower or have a snack. Walk around the block, respond to a text message or play with your dog.
Anything to get the blank white page out of your immediate line of vision.
Why, you ask? Well… I’ll let you in on a little secret: writer’s block comes from trying too hard.
When you distract your mind with an activity, your brain will still work on the blog article – but in a behind-the-scenes kind of way.
This is usually where I get my best ideas.
Here are three things that happen when you step away from your desk…
1. When You Step Away, You Give Yourself Perspective
Sure, your tip of the week is important. Your audience is waiting with baited breath to hear what you have to say about boosting their confidence, raising their prices or making more sales via the Internet.
But sometimes when your nose is pressed right up to the glass, you can’t see the beautiful etching on the windows.
Step back. Do something else. Remember that while your blog is important (content is king!), it is just a blog. And blogs are supposed to be fun. The idea isto let the fun and creativity creep back in.
When you give yourself permission to breath a little, you’ll have the luxury of seeing things as they truly are. This will certainly change your approach to the writing when you’re ready to sit back down and hammer it out.
2. When You Step Away, You Give Yourself Creative Juice
Speaking of fun and creativity, wouldn’t it be nice if you could infuse that spirit into your blog article for the week? I’ve written blog articles for a wide range of clients, from crystal meditation healers to divorce lawyers, and I can tell you that when you’re having fun, the content is much more interesting.
After all, if you’re not engaged in the work… who will be?
You know why you do what you do. Write from that place. That place of having so much to offer – so much good stuff to offer – that you simply HAVE to share it!
If you can write from that place every week, you’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand, my friend.
3. When You Step Away, You Relieve The Pressure
Sometimes we’re so hard on ourselves as entrepreneurs. We force ourselves to master task after task after task… it can feel like a lot of pressure.
Isn’t it funny that we create these intense situations for ourselves? At times, pressure is a good thing. It helps us get things done. But often self-judgment or self-criticism is the companion of that pressure.
Those two things are NOT conducive to fun, creative and juicy writing!
When you can step away from the screen, a certain amount of pressure will fall to the wayside. That’s when the good ideas and the generosity will really begin to flow, and you’ll come back to the project with renewed zest.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
(NOTE from Michele. One of the very best ways to get away from the screen is to attend a live event. Check out my live event at http://legacyliveevent.com)
