I always struggle after long breaks.

Even though I didn’t stop writing completely, it makes writing feel weird and disconnected.

But I have to regain my writing groove.

Here’s 4 ways I’m shaking off that feeling (and getting back into a productive writing routine):

1. Embrace weirdness

Long breaks put me out of sync.

I come back feeling disconnected and like “what the hell is going on here then??”. And that makes my writing process feel weird. Then I try to fight it and it becomes this overly conscious process of watching every word I write.

This time I’m leaning in, embracing it and writing whatever the hell comes out.

2. Start small

I write a lot of things.

Email newsletters and social posts, but a lot of them and basically daily. I can’t write them all at once. So I’m taking it one step at a time before facing the whole field.

Feels a lot more achievable and builds momentum.

3. Find my flow

Tough task to hop right into writing cool posts right away after a break.

I’m feeling relaxed and not in focus mode so I need to find flow before that. Best way for me is to have a “middle man” between my brain and the post. A piece of writing that doesn’t actually see the light of day, but speeds up and improves my public writing.

Example: a timed, 5 minute brain dump in Evernote:

This has been a life saver lately.

4. Don’t overthink it

Perfection doesn’t exist blah blah.

We all know that. But it’s true, it really doesn’t. And chasing it often makes your writing way less fun and interesting (I find that for sure, anyway).

Without overthinking, I get way more natural and time relative writing.

TL;DR:

1. Embrace weirdness

2. Start small

3. Find my flow

4. Don’t overthink it

Coming back from a break can feel weird.

But I’m learning to welcome discomfort.

If you resonate, try starting small. Then go from there to get your routine/groove back.

You might even become a better writer for it.

Cheers,

Matt Barker

P.S. one of the hardest parts of writing on social is the consistency. You get more confident (and faster) by writing more consistently. I have a system for making it easy to stay consistent and write faster, which I show in module 2 of The Digital Copywriter. Click here to get your system for consistent, fast writing.​

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