Do you ever avoid doing something you need to do by delaying it in favor of focusing on something you find more enjoyable?
Many writers sometimes procrastinate. Maybe you don’t consider yourself a writer, but you need to produce a written document for professional purposes; so you procrastinate. When a project becomes challenging, and you’re not sure what to do next, it’s easy to get stuck.
Most people are familiar with what procrastination is. When trying to overcome it, it also helps to understand what it isn’t:
• Laziness—although you’re avoiding your project, you might be productive in other ways.
• An indication that there’s something wrong with your project—if you’re unsure of how to move forward with your writing, it doesn’t mean your end result won’t be amazing.
• A habit that can’t be changed—although there are genetic roots to procrastination, it’s something that can be overcome. (According to the Journal Psychological Science, procrastination is 50 percent genetic and 50 percent environmental.)
• Harmless—procrastination isn’t just detrimental to your professional success; it can harm your health.
Why do you procrastinate when writing?
• You’re afraid. Will your project turn out how you want it to?
• You’re too hard on yourself. You expect your work to be perfect.
• You’re unsure of your next step. You’re waiting for a good idea to come to you.
• You’re concerned that you might get sucked into your work. And you’ll neglect other tasks.
• You’re emotionally blocked from something unrelated to your work. You can’t focus.
• You’re convinced you’re not a good writer. Or, you don’t see yourself as a writer.
• You’re lacking motivation. You feel stuck.
There may be other reasons you procrastinate, but it’s important to know that when you do it, you’re choosing one task over another. You may tell yourself that the task you’re choosing to engage in is more urgent, when in reality, it’s just more pleasurable. Science has proven that procrastination temporarily improves your mood; but this improved mood is short lived. Doesn’t this sound similar to other bad habits?
You might think a particular task is causing you stress. But procrastination results in more stress. It’s even linked to health problems. Some short-term effects of procrastination include headaches, insomnia, and digestive problems; long-term effects are associated with cardiovascular diseases because of the effects of stress on the body’s inflammatory responses.
So, procrastination=stress=inflammation=disease
Maybe the prospect of having health problems gives you an incentive to stop procrastinating. Maybe the possibility of not meeting your long-term professional goals gives you incentive. Don’t you want to share your message? Don’t you want to see your work published?
Here are some strategies to overcome procrastination:
• Identify how you’re spending your time. Make a list. You’re likely engaging in tasks from which you find more short-term satisfaction than the task you’re avoiding.
• Choose any time of day, and devote a span of time each day to working on your project.
• Break your work into small bunches. Focus on one bunch at a time.
• Make a schedule of how you’ll use your time. Put it in a visible place.
• Remove the distractions around you: email, phone, messes. Determine whether you need to work in a new environment.
• Put motivational quotes where you can see them.
• Set goals and reward yourself.
• If you’re working with an editor, ask for advice about next steps.
• Realize that many people have successfully broken their procrastination habit. You can be the next!
Learning not to procrastinate is an ongoing process. Habits aren’t broken overnight.
I’m not suggesting you do nothing but work. I’m suggesting you can experience a sense of accomplishment from completing even a small amount of work.
Procrastination is common. But it makes things take longer. And life is short. Use your time wisely. A once challenging task will become exciting when you’re making progress. Try not to let procrastination lead you to giving up on your amazing project.
