Sometimes I pick up a pen, knowing I have an essay due the next day, or an article due in a few hours, but my brain cannot conjure up any relevant ideas or phrases to describe them. There isn’t always time to step away and brainstorm for a bit, or to seek inspiration from other people or places. So when I’m on a tight timeline, the most useful way I deal with writer’s block is by continuing to write despite the dearth of motivation or ideas.

I’ve compiled a list of outlets that quickly divert your attention to another writing project that can be concluded quickly but allow your brain time to generate new ideas. You won’t lose the groove of writing when you quickly switch over to the project you were working on before, but you’ll hopefully have more ideas—or at the very least—warmed up your inner novelist.

1. Yelp reviews

You can type up a review in five minutes, tops. They can get addicting too, especially if you’re a foodie with heaps of praise for a chef or dish, or if you know a few restaurants with poor service and need to rant about it. I find that by writing a few reviews, my writer’s block is overcome because a topic had sprung up while I was exploring the dryness of the chicken I ate yesterday. Plus, this is a surefire way to the coveted Yelp Elite Squad.

2. Streams of consciousness

Similar to a journal entry, this is just a outpouring of your thoughts. However, the biggest rule is: don’t stop. Keep the pen moving, keep on typing. Even if you’re writing sentences like “I don’t know what I’m writing why am I doing this,” keep at it for a specified amount of time (one minute, five minutes, etc.), until you feel ready to go back to the task at hand.

3. Manifestos

If you’re stuck because you absolutely hate the topic you ought to be writing about, write a manifesto against it! It doesn’t have to be long or verbose, just enough to get some main points across. By still engaging with the topic, but from another angle, countless ideas are generated, or maybe your mindset will shift.

There may be a particular outlet you enjoy more than these, like a giant text essay to your best friend about the topic you’re brainstorming on, or a giant list of relevant ideas (a crossover between brainstorming and a stream of consciousness). But the important part is not your method—it’s that you

keep writing. This way of overcoming writer’s block may not work for everyone, but it has helped me through countless blocks, and I hope it helps you!