PhD student with writer’s block? Here’s how to write more (even when you don’t feel like it)

You sit down at your desk. You open your laptop. You stare at the screen. And you think:

“Nope.”

Welcome to writer’s block, PhD edition.

Maybe you tell yourself, “I’ll just wait until I feel motivated.” But let’s be honest: if we’re all sitting around waiting for motivation to show up, that thesis is never getting written.

Here’s the truth: motivation doesn’t come first. It’s not the starting point. It’s the end result of actually doing the thing. You have to write badly first, and then - weirdly - motivation starts to show up.

So, if you’re a PhD student wrestling with writer’s block right now, you’re not broken. You’re just normal. And there are ways through it.

Here are 3 things that actually work.

1. Don’t wait for motivation - schedule writing like a non-negotiable

Motivation is the flakiest friend you’ve got. You can’t plan your day around it.

So instead of asking, “Do I feel like writing today?”, try asking:

“When am I going to write today?”

Block out a small chunk of time - even just 20 minutes - and treat it like brushing your teeth. You don’t wait to feel inspired to brush your teeth. You just do it.

Tip: Plan your writing sessions at the start of each week. If you leave it until the morning of, it’ll get bumped. And bumped. And bumped again.

2. Let it be ugly - first drafts are meant to be messy

You might be blocked because you’re aiming for brilliance on draft one. Been there. Done that. Got absolutely nowhere.

When you sit down to write, don’t imagine your supervisor reading it. Don’t panic about what your examiner might think. Just write for you.

Think of it like baking. That first wonky cupcake in the batch? It’s always a bit tragic. But you’ve got to make that ugly cupcake before you can make the polished ones.

Same with writing. You’ve got to get the mess out before you can make it make sense.

3. Don’t start from zero - use sentence starters

The blank page is brutal. That blinking cursor? Rude.

So don’t start with nothing. Use sentence templates and prompts. They give your brain something to bounce off - and that first push is always the hardest.

Here’s a few to try:

“This chapter explores…”

“Previous studies have shown that…”

“A possible explanation for this is…”

Once you’ve written one sentence - any sentence - the page is no longer blank, and your brain will start to fill in the gaps.

Still stuck?

I’ve put together a totally free guide: 10 PhD Problems, Solved and yep, writer’s block is in there. Along with procrastination, messy data, and other chaos-causing culprits.

🎯 Grab your copy right here and get practical, quick wins you can actually use this week.

And remember: You’re not a bad researcher just because the words aren’t flowing. You’re just a human doing a PhD. And you’re doing better than you think.