There are times that ideas just don’t seem to come to mind. This is one of those times for me, but I’m going to find a way to get past it and maybe I’ll give a tip or two along the way.

We all occasionally struggle to write anything – a program, documentation, an essay, or a story. The trick is finding ways to overcome that block. The most important piece of advice I can give is to simply write. The hardest part to write is the first word. If you can get past that then the rest often follow closely behind. So, no matter what you are working on – get something down. It doesn’t matter if it’s any good. It could be completely wrong, but it is amazing how freeing seeing that those first thoughts put down.

In programming, that could simply be declaring a function, or setting up a button on an interface. Once you get that down, then you have something to work with and expand on.

The next part is to avoid distractions. Once you get some progress, breaks can be good. But, you have to have something down before you step away or you risk not getting back to it. That means, don’t pick up your phone. Don’t open Facebook. Don’t turn on the TV. Simply focus on the work at hand and put some words or code down. You can always go back and edit things, but it’s important to make a bit of progress.

I should add, that progress in coding can often be simply planning your project. I often write down ideas that I hope to implement and how I would like the interface to work. Yes, I plan on actual paper. I find that fits my style better. I don’t have set lines. I can add words or pictures anywhere that they seem to make sense. I don’t have to follow columns or spaces on a device. I can cross things out in a way that will later clearly show my thought process. I guess I just feel more connected to my thoughts when I can physically write them down.

I guess that’s a couple ideas that often help me out when I get stuck. Hopefully, you find them useful. I’d love to hear any of your ideas if you would like to leave them in the comments.