Procrastination

1. Try going old school with pen and paper. Sometimes typing on the computer feels intimidating. Old-fashioned pen and paper sometimes helps get the ideas flowing. It switches up our mode of writing from a formalised computer, to a more casual notepad. And with pen and paper, you can draw pictures and create brainstorm webs.

2. Dangle a carrot. Treat yourself once you’ve accomplished your writing goal for the day. Getting that piece of writing done might be just the excuse – or incentive – you needed to purchase a well-earned treat or trip out.

3. Set a time limit. Promise yourself 30 minutes of uninterrupted writing time and set an alarm on your phone. And if you’re on a role after your alarm goes off you may not even want to stop.

4. Take baby steps. Just write the first paragraph – that’s all. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started.

5. Go public. Get up from your bed, desk, or usual writing area and change up your scenery. Getting out of your house and into, say, a coffee shop means that you’re in public and people are expecting you to act civilized. So you’re forced to sit down and write.

6. Use other sections of your writing as inspiration. You may feel intimidated when you compare yourself to others, so instead, compare yourself to yourself. Look at the best sections of your content to be reminded of what an awesome writer you are.

7. Create a physical reminder of your past success. Create a vision board to post on the wall of the room where you write. Or, create a poster with your favourite writing quotes. Draft up a list of all your by-lines, good ideas, or publications you want to write for and use any of those posts for inspiration. Or create a list of places where you’ve been published and stick that on your wall.

8. Create an editorial calendar to hold yourself accountable. Your calendar can then guilt trip you into getting things done on time. If you have a full list of posts to write for the month, you better get started on them now.

9. Become your own therapist. Answer these questions: Why don’t I want to write? What am I afraid of? How do I feel about my writing?

10. Sometimes we writers procrastinate because we are afraid of something: not being good enough, failure etc. Once we shine some light on the reason why we are avoiding writing, we can remind ourselves of our successes and power through.

11. Think about what you will get out of it. Instead of being afraid of failure, or whatever fear is keeping you from writing, think about your goals. Think about how each step brings you closer to your writing goals. Successful people think successful thoughts.