Interactive graph
Creative Blocks
Table of Contents
Thousands of notes and the page stays blank - one small ship action usually unsticks the work.
Key Concept
- Creative blocks are not solved by more capture - ship one small action instead.
- Once something ugly exists on the page, editing is a different, easier problem than starting.
- Thousands of notes and a blank page means output fixes, not another capture pass.
Level 1 - Recognize
A creative block is stalled output even though ideas or notes are available.
Level 2 - Explain
Starting one rough piece changes the problem from creating nothing to editing something, which is usually easier.
Level 3 - Use
Write one ugly paragraph about yesterday's customer call before collecting another idea.
Level 4 - Connect
More capture can deepen the block when inventory replaces shipping, but empty input can also be real; diagnose whether the bottleneck is material, fear, or time.
Level 5 - Create
Create a smallest-ship routine that turns one saved spark into a draft, then improve the routine from where it stalls.
Examples
- My kid stared at a blank training log for twenty minutes - I told her to write one messy line about today's warmup and the block lifted once something existed on the paper.
- The new hire could not start the report - I said write one ugly paragraph about yesterday's customer call and the rest followed.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | Capture | when one ship action beats capturing my way out of stuck |
| extends | Creative Output | More capture will not unstick you - blocks need output fixes, not more notes |
| extends | Writer's Block | Named stuck state this note tries to break |
