One other thing that has worked for me is to step away from email. It’s a distraction, breaks down the writing mojo and turns into a time suck. So, I try to only check it first thing in the morning (urgent items only), at lunch and once in the evening. I don’t always succeed, but it has helped immensely!

Craig, I love your 75% idea. That’s a great metric – thanks.

I know that a lot of people don’t like to run (I used to be one of them – heck on some days I still am), but I find that taking a run when I’m stuck can be extremely helpful. When I crank up my music and let my mind wander, I suddenly find myself with the perfect words to get started (or to get me past a specific block). Page layouts that flow suddenly materialize.

It doesn’t happen every time I run, but it happens enough that it is worth lacing up my running shoes.

The only problem I have with this trying to remember all of the fantastic ideas I get during the run. Jotting down ideas isn’t an option, so I often just repeat them to myself until I know they will stick.

Thanks for the post!

I’ve started to learn that the best way is to just keep ploughing on, produce a draft that I’m 75% happy with, then pass it to the client. If they are happy with it, the 75% jumps to 95%. It is mostly self-doubt for me.

But then there are days when my writing is just dire, no matter what I try. That’s when the PS3 comes in handy.