Why It's Okay to Step Away from Your Writing

Not only is it okay to step back from your writing for a bit — it's actually encouraged — and for good reason.

When it comes to writing, I'll be the first to admit that I struggle to know when to step away. It doesn't matter if I'm working on a press release, social media calendar, blog or even my novel. I convince myself that if I just keep pushing through, eventually I'll get to the end and can come back to edit later.

“Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs.” - Russell Eric Dobda

While it's true that you can edit to your heart's content once you've finally got something tangible in front of you, there's a cost to this 'push through' mentality, and it doesn't always result in the best work.

If you're like me, you may struggle to convince yourself that stepping away from a sizable writing project is the right thing to do. In fact, you may even believe it's the last thing you should do, if you want to get it done. The truth of the matter, however, is that this is simply not true.

If you're not giving your mind time away from a project, especially with something as creatively demanding as writing, it will eventually run out of ideas to give.

Below are some ways I counter the dreaded effects of analysis paralysis and writer's block.

Fuel Up on Creativity

Writing is my creative outlet of choice. It's both my passion and my career, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend like it's all sunshine and daisies. I love writing, but at the end of the day, it's still work. Believe it or not, that whole phrase "do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life," is a total lie.

I promise I'm not trying to depress you here. What I'm trying to say is: it's ok to do something you love and still think of it as work. Doing work that you love is rewarding. You have successes and milestones worth celebrating. Throughout your lifetime, you'll dedicate countless hours to the jobs that you have. Loving your job means you might still end the day tired and mentally drained, but you felt like it was worthwhile. That's what writing is for me.

So how do I fuel up on creativity if my creative outlet of choice is work? I redirect my attention toward another outlet I enjoy, but don't take nearly as seriously. Watercolor painting, sketching, journaling, baking, doing a fun makeup look — the list goes on. I'm a serial hobbyist, so I'm never at a loss for something to do. The hardest part is making the conscious decision to pull my energy away from something I "should" be doing and redirect it toward something I simply would like to do.

Be passionate about your work, but give yourself room to pursue the things you enjoy doing just because.

Switch Gears

Ok, so maybe your workload doesn't allow for you to just drop everything and pick up a paint brush. That's ok! There's still no need drive yourself to the brink of insanity picking apart every sentence in that paragraph you just wrote. If I were a betting gal, I'd say nine times out of 10, there's some other bit of work that's just hanging out, waiting to get completed.

It doesn't matter if it's not something substantial or high priority. Do it anyway. Get your brain focused on something else. Check an item off of your list and feel good about it. That paragraph isn't going anywhere (as long as you saved it properly — friendly reminder to backup your backups, people!).

Change the Scenery

Take this one with a grain of salt, because for some reason it always feels like the most monumental of the solutions I've listed today. Usually my change of scenery consists of moving from my desk to the couch, but ultimately I end up missing my second monitor and end up right where I started to begin with.

Still, it's sage advice. Pick up your laptop and relocate to a new space that hasn't already been filled with all of your frustrations. Bonus points if you actually leave the house! When I'm not being stuck in my homebody ways, the local library is one of my favorite places to set up shop. A quiet corner, an oat milk latte and my 'Chill Cry' Spotify playlist playing through noise cancelling headphones? Magnifique.

I wish I could tell you how to prevent writer's block altogether, but I've classified that as a 'mystery of the world,' that will never be solved. Still, I hope this blog has convinced you to take a breather from your writing (or any task that's driving you up the wall at the moment) and do something kind for yourself instead.