A Boot Camp Approach to Cure Your Creative Block

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ilitates%20our,the%20ability%20to%20foster%20creativity.">survival mechanisms</a>. We feel bored, we change our focus, our mind starts wandering, and we come up with great ideas as if by chance.But when you need to keep working on something or when there is a deadline, you can’t allow boredom to take over your life, can you? You cannot also drop it all and start walking towards Tibet. Because bills and stuff.That’s when the boot camp approach is a good tactic to try out.For example, you need to write a 3000-word blog post for a publication you have always wanted to write for. But, as often is the case, you’ve been procrastinating for weeks. Then perfectionism chimed in. The deadline is 30 hours from now, on Monday at 10 am.It’s Saturday evening, and you are despairing.And then a lightbulb moment! You remember the boot camp technique.You rejoice and start planning your morning. You have the whole of Sunday to plan, research, write, edit and finish your article. Hooray!<ul><li>Wake up as early as possible, ideally around 5 am, to give yourself a good head start.</li><li>Brainstorm all the thoughts you have on the subject, clever, crazy and stupid ones.</li><li>Write a short outline. Have coffee.</li><li>Write a first dr

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aft (no introduction or conclusion). Have a breakfast.</li><li>Research and capture additional ideas and references.</li><li>Write the second draft. Have lunch.</li><li>Check your facts and data.</li><li>Write the third draft.</li><li>Check the flow and arguments. Have tea.</li><li>Watch a short TV programme to give your brain a quick break.</li><li>Reread your masterpiece.</li><li>Write the fourth draft. Have dinner.</li><li>Edit, polish. Edit, polish.</li><li>Write an introduction and conclusion.</li><li>Go to sleep and set an alarm for 6 am.</li><li>Reread, do final edit and polish.</li><li>Press send.</li></ul>It’s not impossible, but I would not recommend the boot camp approach as a regular practice. First, it’s time-consuming, and you must ensure the whole Sunday (or other day of the week) belongs to you. If you have a family or other responsibilities — that’s a dream that will rarely come true.Also, it’s rather stressful. Once in a while, <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you">stress is healthy</a>. More than that — it’s bad for you and your poor nerve cells.Only use this tactic as either a last resort or as a shake-up, and you will never miss a deadline or have an issue with a blank page.</article></body>

A last resort or a shake-up tactic to help you finish anything on time.

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In his Making Comics, Scott McLoud suggests something he calls the 24-hour comic. You start a 24-page comic and finish it in one day, with no preparation, no planning, nothing, just 24 hours to finish 24 pages of a comic.

This approach is also known as a boot camp approach when you do everything in one day.

It’s good for chronic procrastinators and those fearing a blank page. But I would also recommend this technique to everyone as a once-in-a-while magic push.

Think about it. You have a great, consistent routine. Everything is going great. It's so great that you wake up one day and feel bored witless. You don’t know why you started this project in the first place. You want to drop it all and go hiking in Tibet.

Well, it’s not unusual for human creatures to get bored. Boredom is actually one of our survival mechanisms. We feel bored, we change our focus, our mind starts wandering, and we come up with great ideas as if by chance.

But when you need to keep working on something or when there is a deadline, you can’t allow boredom to take over your life, can you? You cannot also drop it all and start walking towards Tibet. Because bills and stuff.

That’s when the boot camp approach is a good tactic to try out.

For example, you need to write a 3000-word blog post for a publication you have always wanted to write for. But, as often is the case, you’ve been procrastinating for weeks. Then perfectionism chimed in. The deadline is 30 hours from now, on Monday at 10 am.

It’s Saturday evening, and you are despairing.

And then a lightbulb moment! You remember the boot camp technique.

You rejoice and start planning your morning. You have the whole of Sunday to plan, research, write, edit and finish your article. Hooray!

Wake up as early as possible, ideally around 5 am, to give yourself a good head start.

Brainstorm all the thoughts you have on the subject, clever, crazy and stupid ones.

Write a short outline. Have coffee.

Write a first draft (no introduction or conclusion). Have a breakfast.

Research and capture additional ideas and references.

Write the second draft. Have lunch.

Check your facts and data.

Write the third draft.

Check the flow and arguments. Have tea.

Watch a short TV programme to give your brain a quick break.

Reread your masterpiece.

Write the fourth draft. Have dinner.

Edit, polish. Edit, polish.

Write an introduction and conclusion.

Go to sleep and set an alarm for 6 am.

Reread, do final edit and polish.

Press send.

It’s not impossible, but I would not recommend the boot camp approach as a regular practice. First, it’s time-consuming, and you must ensure the whole Sunday (or other day of the week) belongs to you. If you have a family or other responsibilities — that’s a dream that will rarely come true.

Also, it’s rather stressful. Once in a while, stress is healthy. More than that — it’s bad for you and your poor nerve cells.

Only use this tactic as either a last resort or as a shake-up, and you will never miss a deadline or have an issue with a blank page.