I finally stopped fearing the blank page. The trick is to stop "writing" entirely.

[Paolina]

I spent 6 months avoiding my discussion section. Then I read this Nature column that changed my brain chemistry .

The problem wasn't writer's block. It was goal ambiguity.

Bad goal: "Write the discussion."
Good goals:

• "List three possible explanations for why my control group outperformed the treatment group."
• "Find two papers that contradict my findings and write one sentence on why our methods differed."
• "Draft one paragraph on practical implications—bullet points only."

Your brain panics when you say "write a paper." It calms down when you say "summarize Figure 3 in 50 words" .

The 2-Hour Block: Schedule it. Protect it. No email. No Slack. Two hours, twice a week, same coffee shop. It took me 14 weeks, but the draft got done .

Anyone else paralyzed by their own abstract?

 

[Doliner]

This is genuinely the most useful thing I've read all semester The "goal ambiguity" concept explains everything. I've sat down to "write introductions" and just stared at the screen for an hour—but breaking it into tiny tasks like "list three authors who disagree with this theory" actually feels doable.

I tried your method last night on a stuck methods section. Ten minutes later, I had a paragraph. Thank you for rewiring my brain!