For the past week I’ve tried to get outside, which I have, but I’ve spent the majority of time indoors. I have also been sleeping in the basement and have had the fans on full blast 24/7. The heat also makes it harder to eat so I have been eating a lot later than I usually do.

The million-dollar question is: How can you beat the heat, this time of year? Well Splendicity.com published 10 ways to Beat the Heat.

1. Water.  And more water.  And more water still.  Keeping yourself hydrated will help make you feel and look better, but perhaps more importantly, it will help stave off dehydration and sunstroke.  Add a squeeze of lemon or lime if you need a little flavor.
2. Wear a hat.  It may seem counterintuitive to have something glomming onto your head, but it will actually help shield your face from the sun.  Get a wider brim, and you can protect your neck as well.  This will protect your skin, of course, but by keeping the sun directly off your face it can help keep you from melting away.
3. Wear layers.  Look for versatile pieces that can be coordinate and layered.  Wear a pretty tank under your suit jacket, so you can slip it off when it gets too warm.  Don’t dress in a way that leaves you no options to cool off.
4. Skip the hose.  Chances are that you already do this, but if you’re one of those sticklers for wearing them, now’s a good time to live on the edge.  Sure, some jobs require that they be worn, but if you don’t have to, why bother!
5. If you’re wearing pants, go sock-less or wear a short ankle sock.  Save the knee high trouser socks for fall.
6. Eat raw fruits and vegetables.  Fresh and light is not only healthy, but refreshing as well.  Don’t let heavy food weigh you down in this hot weather.
7. Keep a spray bottle of water or a refreshing tonic at hand.  When you hit and sinker and are drooping, give yourself a spritz.
8. Slip a small deodorant into your purse, or keep it at your desk, so you can freshen up when you’re feeling decidedly un-fresh.
9. Choose a lighter fragrance, lighter in composition as well as fragrance.  It can make a big difference.
10. Select lighter weight clothes in non-clinging fabrics and styles.

Well folks, I want to know how you guys are beating the heat this season? Maybe even leave some tips on how YOU are beating the heat.

1. Don’t force yourself to write. Pretty simple. Step away from the computer for a day or so and just ease your mind. This will release tension in your mind and allow your ideas to flow more freely. [Note: if you can't step away from the computer because of busniess reason ect. just don't blog or try to write anything besideds email and such.]

2. Go outside. Go for a  walk, hike, bike ride or any thing outdoors. Maybe even with a friend. This is a different concept to many geeks but it really does help. Putting yourself into a new environment gives yourself sometime to change perspective.

3. Turn on the TV/Radio. This helps a fair amount. TV show and radio stations can not only give you ideas but can change the way to perceive certain topics or subjects. Ergo, leading to an eventual blog posts which can get things started for you.

4. Read other blogs. Surf the internet and find some quality content to read. This gives you an idea on what other people are talking about these days. Not only are you helping yourself, but you are helping support a blogger and their community.[Note: only try to do this if you have already completed step 1 and cleared you mind.

5. If you haven't already, sign up for a news aggregator service such as Google Reader, Bloglines or Feedly [Firefox add-on]. Looking for some more content you can view and voice you opinion on? Save yourself the leg work and let all the news you want come to you with a news aggregator.

6. Blog about your day. Let’s go back to basics here and start simple. Instead of writing a heavy, opinionated and lenghty post, try something simple. Think of this as an online journal. Odds are not a whole lot of people want to read a blog about what you did that day (that’s what Twitter is for). But this can help you quite a bit by allowing you to get back into the idea of writing. Getting your consistency back is a big part to recovering from writer’s block.

7. Turn you blog into a photo-blog for a couple days. This may not work for everyone, but for some it does make things easier. Taking photos and going on photo walks can revive that imagination and get you into your writing mood. Taking photos can bring back you perspective on things you are fond of. Leading you to be able to turn you photos into blog posts.

8. Don’t let that empty page intimidate you. Start small with you posts, and then increase the length over time. A large part of recovering is to know and respect you limits when it comes to writing. This tip doesn’t just apply to writer’s block. You may have trouble with other things that require you to understand you limits.

9. Ask, ask, ask. Quite often questions can be more powerful than answers. If you belong to an online community, which I’m sure you probably do, ask around. Remember, your not the only one who can experience writer’s block. Unless you are mega superior and output ideas in every topic or discussion-assuming you are not human. Facing writer’s block can be as easy as hard as you make it. It’s your choice.

10. Just want to write something, anything? Write you own Top 10 tips on how you think/recovered from writer’s block.

Bonus Tip: Trust yourself. Don’t just trust what goes onto the page, trust what is capable of yourself and what you can write. Self-confidence is one of the best medicine you can get (aside from laughter, of course!)

Remember these tips worked for me. It may or may not work for you but it’s always a start.

I would also love to here how you dealt with or are dealing with writer’s block.