Freelancers: What Do You Do When You Hit That Creative Wall?

On paper, the life of a freelancer is amazing. And, in many ways, it really is. It can be extremely satisfying to stand by your window and sip your cup of morning coffee while bedraggled commuters outside pound the pavement or seethe behind their steering wheels in nose to tail traffic. What’s more, it’s great to be able to work at your own pace without your boss leaning over you, checking on your productivity day in day out. But the life of a freelancer is a mixed blessing at times. When you’re completely in charge of managing your own productivity you may actually miss your boss’ presence at times. Especially when you hit a creative wall.

Creative block can be very frustrating when it impinges on your hobbies… but when it concerns your livelihood, it can be downright terrifying! It’s enough to send you into paroxysms of worry as your mind springs to worst case scenarios about missed deadlines and disgruntled clients. 

Here are some ways in which you can tear down that creative wall and regain your productivity…

Make your office space inspiring

Surrounding yourself with things that inspire you doesn’t guarantee that you’ll always remain a creative powerhouse, but your office space can have a huge impact on your creativity and productivity. Do all that you can to ensure that your desk and home office space are clean, tidy and free from clutter. Use strategically positioned art prints to ignite the creative mind and where possible make sure you have access to a window and a view. They say that natural light is the “number one office perk”. 

Start doing some chores

If the creative wall has run dry, it may be that you’re trying too hard to get it pumping again. The harder you try, the more stressed you’ll feel and the less readily creativity will come to you. Get up, leave the room and start doing something repetitive like folding your laundry or washing the dishes. This will give your mind a chance to rest and you’ll be surprised by how quickly your mojo returns when you return to your desk. 

Get out!

When you’re a freelancer, it can be really hard to stray from your desk, especially when you do virtually everything online. But staring at a blank screen will create more problems than it solves. Get up and get out. Take yourself to a nearby park or anywhere that has trees, flowers and plants. Even a small dose of nature can help to calm and relax your mind, getting you out of your funk and restoring your creative drive. 

Stay fed and hydratedAs they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And when we’re creatively “in the zone” we can forget about trivialities like eating and drinking enough water. But dehydration is a major barrier to proper concentration, and hunger can be extremely distracting. Thus, you should always ensure that you have a litre bottle of water at your desk, and some healthy snacks like nuts, seeds or dried fruit.