How to get unblocked when you can’t move forwards
I’m feeling completely blocked with my writing at the moment, which makes this blog very personal but also quite challenging to complete.
I’ve spent hours staring into an empty Word document with a solitary blinking cursor. I feel like my word faucet is turned off. At best, it’s operating at a slow drip that’s sufficient for replying to an email or coming up with a low-grade pun, but not much more.
It’s not that I haven’t been trying. I scheduled multiple chunks of time devoted to writing. And during them, I managed to make a significant dent in a range of unrelated items on my administrative to-do list. I started to do everything but the thing that needed doing.
I watched dozens of bird videos on Instagram (the umbrella bird is fascinating!). I paid a visit to the graveyard that is my Whatsapp (where messages go to die) and resurrected a few. I even started online shopping (one of my least favourite chores) until I realised I was about to make a purchase from a company called Bloch. Ouch.
The blocked-blog situation this week became so dire that I considered sending out a post entitled “Feeling blocked” which would contain… nothing. I could have argued the case for artistic license? But at last, here we are. Words are coming out! I wouldn’t go as far as to say the dam that is my writer’s block has broken, but it’s definitely been punctured.
What to do when you’re stuck
Blocks are annoying! They’re impediments between us and our objectives. They interrupt our flow. And of course, they seem to crop up shortly after we’ve made a transition into a new pathway, just when we’re building some momentum, and especially when there’s an important deadline to meet.
It’s tempting to want to be in a constant flow state: to feel continual motion toward our goals. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was easy, peaceful, smooth?
But it’s not. We all get blocked from time to time and sometimes the prunes just aren’t enough. When we hit a wall, how do we continue to move forwards?
Know Your Block
How to deal with your block depends on what’s driving it.
It’s helpful to become curious about your particular block. What does it look like? Where is it coming from? What thoughts and feelings arise as you think about it? Without judgment, try to observe and identify any patterns or themes that emerge. Perhaps it’s highlighting a fear, a desire, or a lack of clarity around your goals.
Blocks can happen for all sorts of reasons, including when:
your heart isn’t truly aligned to the task. Maybe it’s a false objective – it’s not what you want to do. Perhaps you feel moral discomfort or disconnection
your heart is fully aligned to the task – it’s exactly what you want to do, and yet you’re experiencing a resistance. Maybe your fears or limiting beliefs are popping up: familiar voices might include: you’re not good enough, it’s not worth it, ChatGPT can do it better, etc
you’re tired, sick, or lacking energy to power through the task
you’re confused about what you want to do or who you are
you don’t have enough information, skills or support to move forwards.
Block and Roll
Once you know your block, you have the power to decide what to do about it. I believe there are two main approaches to unblocking:
First, to try to remove it: to push through and persevere to reach your objective. How can I eliminate this block?
Second, to acknowledge the block is there and accept it without resistance. How can this block be helpful for me?
Approach 1: Remove or push through the block
“You have to keep it flowing, if you halt it the wave will crash.” – Mitch Hedberg
The block removal approach is the darling of writers like Julia Cameron and my favourite comedian, Mitch Hedberg. Their perspective is that facing a blank page is intimidating: so like a woodpecker, tap away at the block bit by bit. (Sidenote: woodpeckers hammer away at up to 12,000 pecks a day… did I mention about my bird video binge?)
In a writing context, block removal proponents suggest doing a daily stream of consciousness brain dump, journalling whatever comes to mind, even if it’s “I can’t think of anything to write.” At some point, the nothing becomes something (check out this excerpt from Hedberg’s journal, which also offers a fascinating insight into how his comedic mind worked).
Applied more generally, the block removal approach favours relentlessly doing something even if nothing seems to be happening as a result. As Steven Pressfield said, “Put your ass where your heart wants to be.” Show up. Sit down. Do the work.
I decided to try this method out, and write without being attached to the final product being a blog on blocks. What came out instead was the draft text of a stand-up comedy set. Not quite what I needed for today, but also – I was no longer blocked.
I think that trying to remove or push through the block can work well when the underlying cause is fear, confusion, challenge or a lack of creative inspiration. But it’s not the only approach, nor is it always helpful.
Approach 2: Respect the block
“Flow is overrated. Stuck is an innovative process.” - Arawana Hayashi
Blocks are part of the natural ebb and flow of movement in life. Rather than ignoring, resisting or fighting them, we can also accept them. By allowing the blocks to be there, we can become open and curious as to what happens in their presence. This, of course, requires a surrendering of control and an openness to being rerouted.
Our acceptance of blocks can facilitate our creativity. It can prompt us to go in a different direction from the one we intended, and the resulting experimentation can lead us to gain new perspectives. We might try out different activities, communities, foods, or films. We might turn left where we used to turn right. That’s the recipe for ideation!
As a personal example, I’d decided to prioritise training as a dancer, and had enrolled in regular classes. And then I found myself with a Grade 2 ankle ligament tear and hobbling around on crutches: blocked! Rather than try and push through, I accepted my block – and found myself rerouting my passion for music into learning to DJ. Two months later, I’ve got weekly gigs playing music at parties. It’s proof that blocks can propel us in new, unexpected directions!
Sometimes blocks signal that something isn’t working, or that it’s time for rest. When we’re feeling burnt out, tired or unwell, then pressuring ourselves to push through is not only unlikely to solve the problem but it may also damage our health and wellbeing. Instead of reaching for the caffeine, paracetamol or aid of choice, this is a time to slow down, stop, and recharge.
Last night, I was determined to finish a full draft of this blog but was exhausted; after writing this section, I took my own advice and went to bed early. I didn’t meet my goal, but I respected my body’s needs. Sometimes it’s time to stop.
Unblock me!
Feeling blocked is a natural part of the transition process, but it can spell the end of new beginnings by preventing us from moving forwards with our objectives. It can lead to frustration, stagnancy and complacency.
To get unblocked, the first step is to become curious about what's causing the block. Once you understand what's going on, you can choose the best approach to move forwards.
Whether it's to remove it or push through the pain, or accept it without resistance, the key is to keep moving forward. And who knows - you might even discover a hidden talent in the process. Maybe we’ll meet on the stand-up comedy stage!
Reflection:
When you’re feeling blocked, how can you retain your sense of curiosity, wonder or awe with your objective? How can you make the process more fun?
If you were to view ‘blocked’ as a creative state, what might shift for you? (Thanks to Danielle for this suggestion!)
Meditation:
Observe your habits during a blocked state. What are you doing, thinking and feeling? What is desirable or accessible to you at this moment? What happens if you give in to those impulses?
I would love to hear your reflections, questions and puns!
Please share them with me.
FAQ: What are Major Life Transitions? How are they different than Changes?
Transitions are not Changes. Transitions are psychological. Change is contextual.
Major Life Transitions involve a period of being in-between identities, a dark void without clarity, a state of stillness within motion. They bring us into the liminal space: the boundary between what was, and what is to come.
We know we're in a Transition when we undergo a deep, raw, often excoriating process of losing our sense of self. We question our identities. Transitions include multiple changes - to our health, career, relationships, finances, geographies, etc - but they're not synonymous with Change.
Although caterpillars can grow up to 100 times their size, move locations, and even change colours, those are still changes. But when caterpillars enter into the pupa and turn into butterflies, they’re in a Transition: a complete metamorphoses of identity.
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