How to Beat Procrastination as a Writer
1 brutal truth and 2 psychology-backed methods to end your fight with productivity
Think about the times you have procrastinated. Was it fun? I bet it was.
We procrastinate because our brain hates discomfort and at that moment, doing anything but the dreaded task sounds and is pretty fun.
Most of the time, procrastination is just a tool to get out of doing something new and unfamiliar.
In simple terms, procrastination is the antithesis of productivity and if you want to overcome your habit of procrastination then you need to familiarize yourself with one brutal truth.
Procrastination is your brain putting a fight againt the upcoming discomfort.
Your lack of motivation is due to 2 factors:
- You are not familiar with the topic/idea.
- You are afraid of the feeling of discomfort that comes with working on this new and unfamiliar task.
Knowing that it’s just your fear that’s stopping you from starting will help you hack your procrastination habit.
Procrastination then isn’t a productivity problem. It is a personal challenge.
Let Go of Your desire For Perfection.
Over the years, there have been many research studies that propose that procrastination assists with creativity, and helps generate new ideas.
And it might be true, only if you procrastinate after you have made some progress on the work.
Procrastination, before you even start, is just wasting time.
Give yourself permission to focus on one small aspect of the task
We Procrastinate because we have so much at stake. Sometimes, it is the desire to create the perfect first draft. Imagine the pressure you put yourself under when you expect yourself to create flawless anything the first time around.
Now, what if you were just doing something for fun? wouldn’t you go ahead and get started on the fun task to see how it goes? You will because there is no pressure.
And that right there is your solution.
Grant yourself permission to focus on one thought, one task at a time that really does the job.
- Allow yourself to focus and let worries of past, present, and future melt away for a little while and focus on the task at hand.
- If you can’t stop the onslaught of ideas and worries to slow down then note them down somewhere and free your mind of the burden to remember everything all at once.
Once you free your mind of worries, you can view the task, not in its entirety but just enough to fill the next 20 minutes of your time.
The 20-minute Productivity challenge
When I am struggling with ideas, I know deep down that I am struggling with my desire to create something perfectly the first time around.
To overcome this, I challenge myself to finish the job in 20 minutes.
- I put on a 20-minute timer. Turn some background music on and get to work. I am trying out LifeAt these days and enjoy the cafe backdrop the most.
- I don’t stop in the middle even when I am tempted to stop and research a fleeting thought. I stop myself and continue writing.
- The goal is to get as much done as possible without editing, researching, or stopping. You only stop once the timer runs out.
Just let go of your urge to over-research, and over-think. Set a time and just do the thing, no matter how poorly.
Just give it 20 minutes.
Remember this whenever you are struggling to get started.
To summarize
- Realize that procrastination is just your fear stopping you from feeling discomfort.
- Challenge yourself to overcome this initial hurdle and work on the dreaded task for 20 minutes.
- Remember that your goal isn’t to create the perfect final draft. It is simply to get some work behind you and get started.
Do you have any methods and strategies of your own to fight procrastination? Tell me in the comments!
