mere cat

Rx for Blog Block

Scott McNulty is suffering from a blog block and is looking for inspiration. My first reaction is borrowed from Wayne’s World, a font of wisdom I often turn to for philosophy and guidance. “You’re blogged out, man! You need coffee and crullers, stat!!!” Scott has, what, four personal sites not to mention TUAW.

Maybe Scott just needs some slack time. (He’d be in good company taking some time off—Drunkenbatman hasn’t posted in a solid month.) Slack time allows stale thoughts to drain out of your brain (ew...), leaving room for fresh inspiration. Cut yourself some slack by getting away from the computer and other stimulants and engage in some light physical activity. Go out for a walk or do something mindless like vacuuming (useful, too!). I often solve a knotty problem while I’m taking a shower. When I’m working on a big project, I have to take three or four showers a day.

Procrastination can be a powerful muse. For example, right now I’m supposed to be writing to meet a real deadline, so all of a sudden I’ve started posting like, every day. Besides, who says you need inspiration to blog? The lack of it never stopped me. If all else fails (and it won’t), consider lowering your standards as to what qualifies as “inspired.”

I’ve sent a ping to Scott’s site to see how trackbacks work. Still getting the hang of Movable Type, you see. Next thing you know, I’ll be turning trackbacks on here at mere cat.