How to use this Page

By Tania Dakka.

After staring at a blank screen for the last 20 minutes, trying to write your next viral post (next, right?), you give in and give up. It pains you to let the blankness win, but you concede.

Next stop. Shower. No sooner does the steaming hot liquid permeates your pore than an idea flits into your head.

Dang.

No paper. No pen. No help.

And there she goes. Too bad because it was a good one, too!

It Never Fails

Don’t you hate that? You stress and worry over ideas. You waste precious time searching through Facebook and flipping through your lists on Twitter (pretending that you’re going to actually come up with an idea). Then, you look up and the 15 minutes you intended to spend has turned into an hour.

Productivity averted – again.

Trying to generate ideas online is an occupational no-no. You know that.

So you leave your post to “relax” doing something else. And it never fails that as soon as you’re occupied, that great idea pops into your head. But you’re busy so you let it flit on through because you’re – well – busy.

You’re Out of Focus

You’re geared to work when you’re at your laptop. And you spend so much time at it that you just want a break when you’re away from it.

Don’t get me wrong.

We all love freelancing (as much as a piping hot pizza on a Friday night with our favorite beverage of choice). But, the fact remains, as workaholics, we sabotage ourselves by forcing productivity instead of enabling creativity.

That forced focus time creates the habit of letting go precisely when you should be holding on, but we’re too tired to focus when we’re not supposed to be “focusing.”

Learn To Focus Even When You Let Go

Letting go of the plug is the one thing that your brain needs to release all the greatness packed between your ears.

That’s why your shower is your number one idea generator. Not sitting in front your creativity’s arch-nemesis and standing under a stream of bliss loosens the hold that fear and anxiety have on your psyche.

And by forcing yourself away from your desk or laptop and forgetting what you need to do, you’ll release your Inner Creative Beast.

But beware. Releasing the Beast means you have to be ready to capture whatever ideas flow.

I said capture. Not capture and edit – did you catch that?

You’ll be tempted to critique and edit said greatness. Resist. Resist with all you have. Because your perfectionism is going to let that awesomeness fly right past your ears.

Trap your ideas as they happen. Yes, even in the shower.

Create The Habit Of Capturing Creativity Wherever You Are

With the right tools, you can take hold of your most creative and powerful ideas and keep them for when you need them.

Where You Are: In the Shower

If you’re a technology lover, this won’t be the place that you want to use Evernote. Nor is paper and pen going to help you.

But this handy Scuba Slate is just what you need. And at less than $10, it’s a powerful little investment. Hang it on the wall in the shower. And start writing as soon as any idea hits you. Hang up your editor until you towel off.

Another way not to lose any shower gold is recording your shower. Okay, yeah, it’s not for everybody. But it works. I simply turn on the recorder before stepping in and I start talking as soon as the ideas hit. (Warning: let others k

This is a guest post by Tania Dakka.

Three projects due today. One tomorrow. And you intended to send out LOIs this week, too.

You’re on the verge of burnout, but you can’t stop now. Missing a deadline isn’t an option. Your reputation is at stake. This is your life. Every day. Every week.

Business can’t go on like this.

When you’re trying to build your business, all you can see is “get more clients, get more clients, get more clients.” You do everything you can to get your name out to your right tribe. You spend your “free” time on social media trying to network with people in and out of your industry trying to make connections that will grow your livelihood.

The rest of the day is spent trying to produce work for the clients you do have and keep them happy. (We won’t even go into the condition of the house and those beautiful kids sitting at your table, not-so-patiently waiting for dinner!)

The life of a freelancer is hard. Really hard.

You didn’t know starting a business that would allow you to work from the “comfort of your own home” would be so taxing. But it’s beyond taxing.

That’s why your health is so, so important.

You carry a tremendous amount of weight on your shoulders doing what you can to help with family finances, but you have to be able to bare that load or the whole thing will tumble down on your head.

And when you sit at your desk sipping latte after latte, throwing crap down your throat instead of nourishing foods, not exercising, not taking care of your body, you weaken the very foundation on which you’re trying to build that awesome freelance service.

I know, it’s just easier to function like that, right?

It’s easier to say “I don’t have time!” than it is to rearrange a few things and make time. (Honestly, how much do you need to rearrange for 15 minutes? I mean, you spend that much time playing with your inbox in the morning.) And the idea of expending more energy is as draining as actually doing it! So you make your excuses.

You can do it.

All you need is 15 minutes every day. That’s it. When you think about it, it’s not an optional investment when you invest your life in your freelancing career. It’s just a part of business.

When you stop looking at being fit as a way of life, but more like a way of business, you’ll make time for it. Because, you know, business is all there is. Right?

The secret to making lasting change in the way you run your business:

Make a promise to yourself, your family, and your business that you’ll invest 15 minutes in ANY exercise EVERY day and KEEP it. Maxing your heart rate for 15 minutes is best, but some days (especially if you’re just starting to establish this routine), you just won’t feel like starting.

But once you do, you’ll find you won’t want to stop. Many, many, many times I’ve stepped on the treadmill or turned on my Youtube boxing playlist with the mindset that I was only going to do it for 15 minutes, but then I didn’t even want the time to finish.

You see, exercise has this awesome way of making you feel good, but if you give in to the limiting belief that you don’t have the time or the energy, you’ll never give yourself the chance you need to find that out.

Stick to it.

You’ll eventually get into a rhythm where you find that you NEED that 15 minutes of exertion.

It works like this: Do i