Zombies aren't the only things that will eat your gray matter. There are plenty of other brain suckers that will kill your creativity. Here are the top 5 things to avoid when you need to be productive.

1. Self-Doubt

Give your ideas a chance. If you don't, who will? Don't self-talk yourself into believing you are less than adequate, rather error on the side of telling yourself that you're up to the task.

2. Fear

Don't be afraid of failing. Expect it. Sucks the fear right out of not being a success. If you acknowledge that you're going to make mistakes, it frees you up to take risks and some of them will pan out.

3. Excuses

Excuses not only slow you down, they downright sidetrack you so that you never get to what it is you really want to accomplish. Stop telling yourself why you can't do something and replace that line of thinking with why you should.

4. Attention-Deficit

There are way too many distractions in our world. Unplug from the internet. Shut off the phone. Go old school and try paper and pen if you must. Whatever it takes to hone your focus, do it.

5. Negativity

Lord knows there's enough negativity in this life without surrounding yourself with naysayers. Hanging out with people who tell you that "you can't" is a bad idea.

To keep your creative juices flowing, it's important you maintain the mindset of a champion. Set your goal, give yourself a timeframe, then run like the wind toward it. The bonus is that if you're running full speed, zombies can't catch you.