How to Stop Procrastinating and Write

Just thinking about working on my overdue novel-in-progress makes me want to sort socks.

Procrastination is putting off ‘til tomorrow what we can do today, in spite of the negative consequences. We all do it, and some of us are hard-core.

My browser history this morning includes research on procrastination, it’s true, but also a list of famous Scots, info on substance abuse disorder, a down jacket on sale, a social media sweep of what everyone decorated, ate, and received over the holidays, and recent Carrie Fisher and Neil Gaiman tweets, to name but thousands. And that’s all while I’m at my desk. I’ll go scrub shower-tile-grout with a toothbrush when a big project deadline looms.

So how does one stop this?
It’s impossible.
You’re probably doing it right now.

Writers have it the worst.
That’s because writing is flipping hard. We’re our own bosses and have only ourselves to crack the proverbial whip. Plus, it takes awhile for us to get going each time we sit down to write. Really. Scientifically. Like starting a forty-year-old gasoline powered lawn mower with a puller thing.

Numerous studies show that hard-core procrastinators end up suffering more and performing worse—despite our rationalizations that we’re being creative. Or that deadlines make us produce our best work.

Chronic procrastination, due to too much stress is actually bad for you. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Habitual procrastinators have higher rates of depression and anxiety and poorer well-being.” This explains a lot.

Still, we cannot obliterate the Hummer of procrastination.
But we can make a dent in it. Here are some strategies for psyching yourself out and forcing some production:

1. Show up. Everyone is unanimous on this. Butt in Chair. You may still stare at the ceiling, answer emails, or arrange gummi bears by color, but if you’re not even at your keyboard, you’re guaranteed to produce nada.

2. Know thyself. Everyone works differently. The blank page is hardest for me. Not only just getting going, but then abiding the crap that comes out. Revising is easier to stick with. Many writers claim the reverse.

3. Set reachable goals. You can do 500 words.

4. Do it sloppily. Get something—anything—down and fix it later.

5. Make yourself accountable, i.e. no getting up from your desk until you finish 250.

6. Use sticks and carrots. Remember that all the worrying and guilt we suffer as a result of our procrastinating is a “stick” itself.

Possible carrots range from the weak satisfaction of meeting a word count goal, to immediate and rewarding breaks for leftover turkey casserole, a Cadbury Egg, or, best of all, cocktail hour. Theoretically, a Hawaii vacation would be a good carrot for a completed novel draft.

Some writers I know have a writing buddy with whom they compare word counts at the end of the day or week. If that works, more power to you. It’s the whole idea behind the very successful NaNoWriMo (link http://nanowrimo.org)

The neurology of procrastination boils down to the limbic system, a more primitive, “pleasure-center” part of our brain, battling it out with the prefrontal cortex, an evolutionarily newer part of the brain that handles planning, decision-making and actual reasoning.

The prefrontal cortex understands complicated things like deadlines and payment, the satisfaction of goals met, as well as the shame and humiliation of failing.
The limbic system just wants to party. And avoid pain.

The anticipated and very real pain of writing makes the limbic area flare into fight-or-flight mode. The irony, of course, is that procrastination itself leads to more pain.

Our motivation is affected by how far away the reward (and perhaps the pain) is, too—so a novel is harder to stick with than an article. Duh. Also, given the choice between two rewards of equal value, we’ll take the one that we can have soonest: a published article in two months, or a round of solitaire now. A finished novel in one year, or organizing tax receipts now.

The bad news is that there is no way to be a writer without being disciplined about writing. IMHO, it’s okay to be a slob about everything else, including auto maintenance, loved ones’ birthdays, certainly exercise, and even hygiene.

May the following additional tips aid you:

-Do the biggest, hardest thing first.

-Focus on what is positive about your writing today, i.e. learning more about the fascinating human brain, and not what is negative, actually slogging out a post.

-Break your odious task down into smaller tasks or “bite-size” pieces: 1) research, 2) pithy notes, 3) rough outline 4) a scene draft 5) revised draft, 6) etc.

-For god’s sake, turn off alerts, push notifications, and dings on your computer. And if you’re anxious to get on social media, then use it as a reward for a goal met. Writers are nothing if not distractable.

-Try a new environment–if you usually work at home, write in a bowling alley or an arboretum.

Last but not least, be gentle with yourself. The ultimate irony is that the more pressure we put on ourselves, the more likely we are to procrastinate. Now get to work.