The best ideas come when we’re not looking, and sometimes no ideas come when we’re under deadline pressure and need them the most. If you’ve been suffering from creative block lately, don’t despair. Jan White, in his new book, Editing by Design, offers these five easy steps to help break through your creative block.

1. Be ready. You never know when the next great idea is going to strike. If it’s while you’re walking down the street or in the middle of the night, make an effort to jot it down. Capture all unexpected ideas and make a note of them. If you’re not ready, you’ll miss them.

2. Keep a file. So what if that idea won’t work today. It might be perfect for a future project. File it away, and make sure it’s in an easy to find place.

3. Loosen up. Think about the problem as a challenge, not the end of the world. Chances are you’ll solve this one only to have another one pop up and take its place. And since this is the Web, any mistakes you make will soon be replaced, so not to worry. Be ready to take risks and the ideas will suddenly seem to flow.

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be ready to forgive yourself for things that go wrong or don’t work. Focusing on the past never helps.

5. Eliminate the negative. Don’t reject anything just because it hasn’t been done before or because you think no one will like it. Reassess your assumptions. When you’re the negative one, you never give your audience – or your creativity -- a chance.