10 Reasons Why You Struggle To Write & 10 Remedies
Overcoming writer’s block
I’ve been writing online for 17 months and have published over 1,000 pieces of content across LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, and X (Twitter) and built a community of over 12,000.
Many are writers, content creators, or professionals who see the value in writing online for their business, their brand, and their personal satisfaction.
I like to keep notes of their recurring problems and questions and turn them into solution-focused articles, so here we go:
10 challenges and 10 tips to overcome them.
1: Lack of clarity
“I don’t know what to write about”
Solution: clarify your vision
Go back to the basics and ask yourself the tough questions:
Why do you want to write?
What are you trying to achieve?
Who are you trying to help and how?
What’s your value proposition?
This is mine:
“The Lemon Tree Mindset empowers you to build your thing and brand yourself.”
I stay on my lane. FOCUS.
2: Lack of time
“I don’t have time to write”
Solution: re-prioritize
The average adult spends over 2.5 hours per day in the rabbit hole — social media (Statista). Can you transfer 30 minutes a day from consuming to creating?
Make writing a habit. Book an appointment with yourself and make it happen.
3: Lack of cohesion
“My content feels disconnected”
Solution: strategize
Most people start writing ad hoc, without a big picture. That’s fine when you are starting but after a while, you must connect the dots.
If you nail point 1 (clarity), it’s easier to make the connection because your vision is your North Star.
My newsletter, The Lemon Tree Mindset has 3 key strategic pillars:
That’s my strategy and how my blog is built. Everything links back to my pillars and my vision.
Start with the strategy and build the layers around it.
4: Repetitive content
“I feel like I’m repeating myself”
Solution: nurture creative thinking
When my solopreneur friend Mel told me she was struggling to promote her podcast without sounding like a broken record, we talked about perspective.
There are at least 10 different ways to talk about the same topic: learnings, mistakes, similarities between x and y, before and after, personal story…
And at least 10 formats: listicle, article, LinkedIn Live, thought leadership, carousel…
Mix it up, experiment, try new formats and keep it fresh!
5: Overthinking
“I overthink before press publish”
Solution: have a bias for action
Reduce the time between writing and pressing ‘Post.’ Think of social media as a conversational channel where you show up as you are, sharing your ideas.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. I recently wrote ass instead of as in a LinkedIn carousel. When my friend Michael kindly pointed it out, I had a giggle, corrected it, and moved on. You are not writing a thesis: you’ll be fine.
6: Poor content
“My writing sucks’
Solution: write more and get feedback
It probably does. Mine does, too, sometimes, even after a year. Numbers don’t lie.
Writing is a skill like cooking, running, or playing music. Regardless of your talent, you need the miles on the keyboard.
If you are serious about improving, invest in it. I hired a writing mentor for my memoir, joined a course on personal branding and follow tips from top creators.
7: Inefficiency
“I’m not efficient and it takes me forever to write”
Solution: create processes
- Plan ahead (I plan my content calendar on Sunday)
- Repurpose across platforms (adjusting the format)
- Turn 1 long-form article into multiple posts
- Break 1 idea into sub-ideas
- Journal your thoughts before they vanish
- Turn your popular comments into posts
- Identify your readers’ key challenges and turn them into an article (like this one)
8: Inconsistency
“I struggle to find a cadence”
Solution: build accountability
My commitment to my subscribers is to publish once a week. Sometimes I send 2 issues weekly, but my promise to you is to show up on Saturday morning at 8 am Hong Kong time.
Be honest: are you ready to go to the gym daily, or is 3 times a week more realistic?
The symptom is a lack of consistency, but the root cause is a lack of commitment.
Tackle the root cause and sign an accountability contract with yourself.
9: Lack of engagement
“My content doesn’t create engagement.”
Solution: engage more
Engagement is a two-way street. Don’t expect people to flood your wall with comments if you are not supporting them back.
Dedicate some time to leave interesting comments, support others, and build your community. Join groups of your interest, participate in discussions and be creative. Insightful comments are an effective way to grow your audience too.
10: burnout and writer’s block
“I feel like I’m hitting a wall and I’m burning out”
Solution: take a break and reset
There are 2 things you shouldn’t chase: inspiration and love.
Instead, create the space for ideation to flourish: go for a walk, reconnect with nature, read a book, listen and observe…create mental space, and the moment you least expect it, inspiration will knock on your door!
Bringing it home
Here are the 10 remedies that will help you get unstuck when you struggle:
- Have a clear vision
- Reprioritize
- Build a content strategy
- Nurture your creative thinking
- Fuel a bias for action
- Write more and get feedback
- Create processes
- Build accountability
- Engage more
- Take a break and reset
If you are interested in inspiration and frameworks to build your thing and brand yourself, you will love my book, The Lemon Tree Mindset. 🌳🍋
