Writers aren’t writers unless they are writing. Most writers (or so I tell myself) have struggled with how to produce work that is meaningful and just keep at it. Day after day. In spite of all the hurdles, imagined and real.

I could write a book about this and maybe one day I will. In the meantime, from one writer to another, let me share some brief thoughts on productivity, in no particular order:

1. Turn up: There is simply no way around this one. If you keep turning up, you will eventually break through what is holding you back. 

2. Feed your soul in other ways: This is critical. A car can’t run on empty. Be kind to yourself. Be intentional about figuring out what it is that will give you some joy again.

3. Work on multiple projects: Keeping busy allows you to feel productive. How you feel about the work you’re doing directly impacts your ability to keep turning up.

4. Push yourself through a specified block of time: When I’m struggling, I often tell myself I’m going to keep hacking away at it for one more hour. The Pomodoro technique suggests the optimum amount of time for this is 25 minutes, but I’m not as scientific about it. 

5. Dan Pink’s two minute rule: If you can do a task in less than two minutes, do it immediately. You’ll appear to be highly efficient and responsive without holding off more important to-do’s for long. This really works for me. 

6. Turn off email notifications: Sometimes you just need to CONCENTRATE. Using Freedom or one of those Internet-blocking apps doesn’t work for me, but ignoring incoming email does.

7. Protect yourself psychologically: You’re asking for trouble if you go around social media looking for writers who are productive, happy, smart, productive, funny and productive. Yes, it is easy to think everyone is more productive than you are (and thinking that does not help).

8. Surround yourself with can-do types: It can feel good to commiserate with other miserably blocked writers, but it is far better to feed off the positive energy of people who have found ways to just keep going.

9. Push youself to face your fears: The adrenaline that comes from doing something new is galvanizing. Being curious feels productive. Proving to yourself that you can do something you feel uncertain about can give you much-needed confidence.

10. Don’t let anyone else define your experience for you: Whatever you are feeling is real–accepting this takes away some of the guilt. Whether what you’re feeling is actually warranted or not (ie: “I am such a loser”) is a different issue.

11. Be authentic: Pretending everything is okay sucks, but whining publically usually only makes you feel good temporarily. Finding a happy medium is the goal.

12. Fake it till you make it: This may seem to contradict #11 but, for me, it doesn’t. It’s kind of a variation on #1. Sometimes, you have to keep going no matter what and putting on a brave face can help. Be careful, though, of faking emotions.

13. Read for comfort and inspiration: Don’t forget the infinite joys of reading a wide variety of material, whether it’s the New Yorker or People Magazine, Tolstoy or E. L. James. You never know where good ideas come from.

14. Don’t beat yourself up for caring: It’s good to care; it means you have skin in the game. 

I’ve tried just about every trick, and learned that word count goals stop me right in my tracks. What works for you and what doesn’t?

Katrin Schumann is the co-author of The Secret Power of Middle Children and Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too. She has been featured on the Today show, Talk of the Nation and in The Times, as well as other national and international media outlets. Current works-in-progress include a novel of psychological suspense, a book on parenting strategies that can make or break affluent children, and on-going editorial work for editors, agents and writers. For the past ten years she has been teaching writing, most recently at GrubStreet and a local women’s prison. Katrin helped design and run Grub Street’s innovative program for debut authors, “The Launch Lab.” Before going freelance, she worked at NPR, where she won the Kogan Media Award. Katrin has been granted multiple fiction residencies. For more info, check out her website at http://katrinschumann.com/ –and join the conversation on Twitter: @katrinschumann