How to Rebound & Reboot From a Bad Writing Day!

Have you ever had one of those days when you get up early, energized and committed to moving forward in your creative career and the universe seems to conspire to sabotage your efforts?
You know the script: your computer malfunctions; there are constant distractions; you experience a power outage; writer's block grounds you; a client changes the deadline or direction of your project; or you receive a really negative comment from a blog reader or editor.

Like it or not, it comes with the territory. The next time you have a day from hell, don't lose perspective or give up your peace.

Keep pushing forward, with the following timely tips...

1. Don't concentrate on the problem, concentrate on alternatives.

For example, if you're trying to work on your computer to type up a few creative articles or blog posts, and you encounter glitches or a dreaded virus, pen your ideas on paper and save them for a later date. The key here is not to lose momentum or risk forgetting your original inspiration.

2. Make progress in other creative areas.

Make a few "cold calls" to cultivate new business, or clean out your home office. Remember, every little bit helps. Consider the following stats provided by the National Association of Professional Organizers:

• The Wall Street Journal reports that the average U.S. executive wastes six weeks annually searching for important documents lost in clutter.
• The Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that 80 percent of filed papers are never looked at again.

3. Catch up on your reading.

If your goal is to become the best writer possible, reading is a must. Chances are, you have a stack of mags and books on your nightstand that you haven't gotten around to reading this month. Or books that are on your list to purchase soon. Why not start making a dent in that list?
My next intended read? "Becoming" by Michelle Obama.
Have any of you had the opportunity to check it out yet?

4. Step away from your computer.

While this may seem counter-productive at first, "there's a method to my madness."
Sometimes we need to go out and spend time with other people and things in order to replenish our creative juices. I've written on writing breaks before here at Pen and Prosper. For greater gains, don't strain the brain!

5. Have a back-up plan.

To minimize the effects of “Murphy's Law” and to "reboot" faster, make sure that you have systems and procedures in place for the worst case scenarios. For example, some time ago, I had the misfortune of having my cell phone go kaput on me. Somehow the numbers that I had stored in my phone's database were completely gone somewhere to cell phone heaven. Many of those numbers were to key clients I had communicated with over the years. But, since I hadn't tossed out my little pink address book from pre-cell phone days, I was able to stay connected. Hello?

Wrapping things up here...
Keep these five tips in mind to navigate difficult times ahead and stay the course.
May they serve like a "G.P.S." on the path to success!

Your turn.
Thoughts? Agree or disagree?

Image credit: Pixabay.com