Creative, Entrepreneurial Work is F*ing Hard.
There’s just no way around this.
⚒️ At the end of this article, I’ll share a resource I developed to help you diagnose which of the 25+ biggest psychological blocks to your creative momentum may be most slowing you down (and what to do about it).
But first, let’s look at the challenges with creative work…
Bringing to life the ideas that you uniquely envision and that only you can pull off means that you’re working without a clear template.
There is no easy checklist.
There is no clear career ladder.
There is no “correct” sequence of steps to follow.
There is no exact list of competencies or skills you need to develop with the exact resource.
As a creative entrepreneur, you have to do it all.
You have to figure out the what, why, how, who, when, and where.
Then you have to implement and execute it all.
And then you need to evaluate to see if it all is working or not (and identify how to adjust, develop, and refine).
And underlying all of these activities is our never-ending battle with our negative self-talk, limiting beliefs, and unconscious blocks.
Creative, entrepreneurial work is hard enough as it is when viewed objectively.
Layer in the subjective (aka psychological) and it feels almost impossible at times.
But Why?!?!? 😩
Our brains are biologically wired and evolutionarily programmed to resist change.
Yes, this is even true for creative people.
Even if you truly want to do bold, creative, authentic things…your brain still has parts that solely want to keep you safe and secure.
🧠 This means that parts of your brain want to (move away from this) → (and go to this):
- Uncertainty → Certainty
- Complexity → Simplicity
- Fuzziness → Clarity
- Risk → Safety
- Discomfort → Comfort
- Unpredictability → Predictability
- Feeling like an Incompetent Beginner → Feeling Competent
- Feeling Out of Control → Feeling In Control
Creative work is all about doing things differently and going against the status quo.
It inherently brings about everything on the left side of the above list.
It goes against the brain’s ingrained programming.
It can literally feel like a battle between different parts of your mind when you decide to be and do something creative.
Extraordinary effort, focus, and commitment are required to operate against what’s inherently wired into our brains.
🛑 25+ Biggest Psychological Blocks Slowing You Down and Making You Procrastinate
Often what’s most holding you back is your own psychology.
You don’t need to learn another productivity “technique” or start using a different productivity app. They all work.
You already have all the skills you need to act on your creative goals.
But there is a good chance you aren’t taking a close enough look at the neuroscientific and psychological barriers present.
Sometimes all it takes is to notice and acknowledge them for the resistance to melt away.
Build your self-awareness and better understand which of the 25+ possible psychological blocks might be slowing you down most:
The Stop Procrastinating and Just Get Started Checklist
Which of the 25+ psychological blocks are you experiencing?
In the link below, I share in a Medium article more about the complexity of procrastination for creative people (and what to do about it).
Implementing this checklist may mean the difference between keeping your most meaningful ideas stuck inside your head or actually bringing them to life.
End Your Procrastination and Inconsistency Once and For All
One of the simplest ways to overcome the blocks slowing you down is to not try to do it all yourself.
As creative, intelligent, motivated, ambitious people, we often think we “should” just be able to handle and do everything ourselves. We’re bad at asking for help or support.
This is a faulty mental model if we truly want to see our biggest ideas come to life in a way that feels more efficient, effortless, and enjoyable.
Don’t go it alone.
Get support and accountability from other dedicated creative people (and from me and my expertise in the psychology of creative work).
👉Join the 30 Day Creative Momentum Challenge (starts Monday, January 15th).
⚡️ If you sign up before 2024, get 30% Off any membership level (if this is your first time joining) with the code NEWCHALLENGER30
Feel free to email me and let me know if anything is resonating with you. Or if you have any questions.
More About Coach Jeff
My name is Jeff Fajans (rhymes with “lions”) and I help creative entrepreneurs bring their biggest ideas to life and reach their next level of creative success. I believe that I have unique expertise in the psychology of creative work.
I have a PhD in Positive Organizational Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, where I studied under Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the world-renowned author of Flow. My research focused on how to help people learn, develop, and lead more effectively to better achieve creative goals.
I am also an avid music creator and guitar player. 🤘
Through my 1-on-1 coaching, 30-Day Creative Momentum Challenge community, internationally acclaimed digital courses, and speaking engagements, I’ve helped thousands of people from around the world connect with their purpose, clarify their creative vision, amplify their motivation, and create actionable strategies that make achieving their most meaningful goals inevitable.
These are people who are pursuing big goals like starting or leading a business (and scaling it to higher levels of innovation & growth), writing + filming a feature film (and it winning a Sundance award), building an app or product (and getting accepted into Y Combinator or getting VC funding), writing a book (and hitting the Amazon bestseller list) or even exploring a meaningful side hustle or passion project.
