How To Combat Writer's Block + Befriend Perfectionism
I’m an aspiring minimalist at heart.
I love watching the tiny home documentaries.
I embrace a capsule wardrobe.
I crave white space and uncluttered countertops.
But there are 3 areas where I fail at "less is more":
Coffee mugs. (Sooooo many.)
Dog toys. (But does that count..?)
Copywriting ideas.
As I write this, I have 137+ individual notes on my iPhone -- full of outlines, half-written drafts, or random blog titles.
I’m not some kind of superhuman idea-generator. I have no more ideas than the next person.
The difference is -- I record as many as I can.
Especially after I heard this:
Human brains were meant to HAVE ideas, not hold them.
We can trust our brains to generate ideas, not remember them.
They need a home that's not your head, because they won't stay there.
So you better record those brilliant ideas, my friend.
Write a few words on a sticky note. Put 'em in Trello. Jot it down on an old napkin from a coffee shop.
Anything that helps your brain safely offload those baby-bird ideas.
TRUTH: Most of your ideas may never see the light of day, and that’s okay!
That's a good thing. You don't need 5,000 good ideas. (No one's that good.)
You just need a few gems to rise up to content that's useful to your clients. Voila!
If you're not convinced, let me explain...
Three legit reasons to write down all your ideas
1. For when you struggle with writer's block.
Writer's block is caused by a variety of factors (perfectionism, lack of niche clarity, no direction) but here's one easy fix:
Separate the idea-generation process from the get-er-done writing time.
Common misconception:
You need to sit down,
stare at a blank page,
think of a great idea,
and write it about it,
perfectly.
Sounds ridiculous when I spell it out, right?
Yet, many new-to-copywriting therapists and coaches unconsciously adopt this faulty framework.
You can make writing easier -- and faster -- by ditching this myth and creating an idea bank.
Then, when you sit down to do your writing, you can pick one and run with it. (Without scissors, though.)
2. For when you don’t work well under pressure.
My nightmare meetings (back when we all hung out at the office) were "brainstorming" sessions. I'd contemplate faking a debilitating migraine to skip them.
Picture this: There's a group around a conference table and one person at the front with a dry-erase marker. Everyone is spouting off ideas left and right. Yet, you're frozen, just trying to think of one coherent thing to share.
Can you relate, fellow introvert?
You don't think well under pressure and often feel completely inept when put on the spot.
You do your best thinking when you have plenty of space, time, or solitude. Even better if you're occupied by some relaxing, repetitive activity -- like cooking, driving, or walking.
If this is you, you gotta write down your ideas right when they come.
Then, when it comes time to write your newsletter, you won't have to rack your brain. You'll already have a treasure trove of ideas at your fingertips, just waiting for your word magic to bring them to life.
3. For when you experience perfectionism.
As a therapist, healer, or coach, you already hold yourself to an incredibly high standard.
Of course you do. You're caring for the invaluable human heart every day.
You know where this high standard might shoot you in the foot?
Writing your copy.
And yet.
When you make the decision to jot down all your ideas, you start to break the perfectionist cycle. You don't have to decide if it's a good idea or not. You just record it to reexamine later.
You see, perfectionism kills creativity.
But when you see all ideas as important, you take pressure off writing that "perfect piece". And who knows - your random/weird/mundane idea might actually produce some great copy!
Bottom line:
Write down your ideas.
Stop judging them.
Have a way to keep them organized.
Hold space for your ideas like you do your clients.
With curiosity, compassion, and no agenda.
You’ll still need to put in the effort to make it work.
But when you nix the perfectionism and separate writing time from the idea-generation time, you'll enjoy the copywriting process so much more.
Now, that's an idea I wanna hold onto.
