:: adgruntie :: 50 things to do when you go blank

+ Things to do when you hit a creative wall:

1) Talk a walk. Go to the gym. Do something physical.
2) Watch TV.
3) Listen to the radio. Cringe at the number of bad ads and annoying DJs.
4) Blog-hop.
5) Watch ads online (adland, etc)
6) Do a free word association exercise.
7) Play a word game (crossword, scrabble, word racer/boggle, etc).
8) Wander flickr and other photo sites, getty, corbis, etc.
9) Change your setting...hit a cafe, go to the park, etc and bring your pad and a pen/pencil/sharpie.
10) Flip through ad mags.
11) Crank some good tunes and dance (hard to do in an office setting, unless you've got a door to close and no window to the hallway or other people's cubes/offices).
12) Flip through the dictionary at random.
13) Go bother someone else so that they can't be productive either.
14) Reorganize your desktop.
15) Clean through old files on your computer.
16) Alphabetize your books by title, then by author.
17) Play I-Spy via email.
18) Write in your blog or start one if you don't have one.
19) Read the news. Discover that there's too much bad stuff going on and instead revert to staring at a blank page, empty word doc, photoshop, illustrator file, etc.
20) Find a newspaper and grab a pencil. Erase parts of images and draw them back in in humorous ways.
21) Make up a to-do list.
22) Pick a rarely used computer program and attempt to learn it better. Chances are there is some application on your computer you aren't proficient at.
23) Read a book.
24) Draw a comic of your last night out.
25) Check out job boards
26) Get five boxes of paperclips. See how long of a chain you can make. Also, find something to attach it to and limbo.
27) Make a list of possible images you'd consider getting tattooed.
28) Color on paper and using a hole punch, make confetti. (Save confetti to toss when the idea finally hits. Nothing like a little celebration!)
29) Read all the old emails you have saved in your inbox.
30) Visit all your bookmarked links.
31) Flip through magazines.
32) Pick a song and make up some spoofed lyrics.
33) Google your name.
34) Make creative patterns on your desk (if it's clear enough) or on a wall with sticky notes.
35) Update your address book.
36) Go shopping. Or window shopping.
37) Clean up your desk. Toss out dead pens/markers/etc. Put your trash/recycling bin a good distance away and play basketball with your old papers.
38) People watch in the office or outside.
39) Open up a stapler and see how far you can shoot them (PLEASE MAKE SURE NO ONE IS IN THE WAY - it's not fun when people get hurt.)
40) Start a list for holiday gifts.
41) Read corporate memos, etc. you've had sitting on your desk or in your inbox for longer than you should have.
42) Fill out time sheets.
43) Pick up a magazine from the lobby. Spray glue all the pages of a magazine together. Return it.
44) Visit HR to discuss benefit options you might not be taking advantage of.
45) Move the toys/knicknacks on your desk/in your office around to maximize the feng-shui of the space.
46) Create some origami.
47) Type random words into your browser and see where you end up. Don't forget to try .net, .org, and other endings too.
48) Call random 800/877/toll free numbers.
49) Check out domain registration sites for funny names you could possibly buy.
50) Make up a list of your dream clients.

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