Writing Procrastination: How you can overcome it

There are so many writers that I know in the writing community that have skills that are totally and unbelievably out of this world. But let me tell you something, I’m certainly not one of them. These skills that I speak of are not the ones you might be thinking. I’m talking about the skill to start their writing session with ease and knock out 2-3k words like it’s nothing.

As I write this I am having difficulty just trying to keep my butt on the chair and finish the article.

And you know what, I know that I’m not the only one, which is why I have decided that we should work on this together and find out what the root problem is how to prevent it from happening.

First off, you think I’m talking about writers’ block? I assure you that I am not and that particular malady is not what ails you. I am here to talk to you about writing procrastination. Yes, that is real and yes, it is probably what you have.

I know that there are many writers out there that truly enjoy the process of writing but for a number of people writing really isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, no matter how much you guys enjoy your craft. There are so many reasons why sitting down and writing anything can be difficult and writers take it for granted that they have writer's block and just stop. And that is when writing procrastination wins out and you're stuck.

The good news though? Writing procrastination is completely normal.

You shouldn’t believe that because it seems like everyone has something to show for their writing that they haven’t struggled just as you are now. So, don’t feel bad for your lack of motivation. There are reasons for this and I am here to help you pinpoint which ones are the ones that are plaguing you and how to overcome it.

In this blog post, I will give you an in-depth analysis on some of the reasons that you might be procrastinating your writing as well as some solutions that will have you on the write path—pun intended.

Some of the causes of writing procrastination…

1) Lacking personal attachment (something that I suffer from almost all the time).
2) It's tedious.
3) It's exasperating.
4) There’s no real meaning behind the writing and you don’t know where it’s going.
5) It’s difficult.
6) You don’t gain anything from accomplishing feats and milestones.

These reasons can be applied to why writers procrastinate.

Sometimes writers are hit with brilliant ideas that turn into a scene, but then they have to structure their story around that scene and that’s where things might become difficult. Not only can it be difficult, but now writing can also become tedious. This is especially true when they have to write scenes or events that they’d really rather not write about or having to edit writing that is not their own or even having to incorporate unexciting scenes that you would really rather not write but are essential to moving the plot along. Hello ghostwriter!

But realistically writers can’t really afford a ghostwriter or even want one and so then writing can become quite exasperating. When you hit this point in your writing you just want to write anything and get it over with which then brings you to writing that has no real meaning and you’re not even sure where that scene is going anymore. That’s when really sad things happen and you end up scrapping a whole chapter. Yikes.

All of those scenarios above? It’s nothing compared to actually having finished your manuscript and then going through the arduous task of editing, rewriting, deleting and deleting aaand deleting. After finally accomplishing to finish your manuscript and what—now you have to essentially have someone tear it apart or worse yet read it yourself and feel like everything you wrote was horrendous (which I assure you is most likely not the case). This can make you feel like you didn’t gain anything from accomplishing your milestone and your sense of satisfaction can be diminished significantly.

You begin to doubt yourself and your abilities and all of this can be further from the truth!

I wanted you to understand what all of these causes are but why they are just by-products of not having a personal bolstering system in your arsenal of writing tools.

I will break down how to overcome these obstacles and have you writing your awesome little heart out.

3 easy techniques that will help you overcome writing procrastination

Find the Root of the Problem

Before you can even begin to tackle your issues, you yourself need to understand what they are. I have prepared a list of questions for you to ask yourself at the end of this article for you to download.

Are you working on a difficult project? Is the scene your writing frustrating you?  Have you slowly been growing bored with your story?

Perhaps you are doubting yourself and the motivation to continue isn’t there. Or does it feel like you haven’t accomplished much?

Explore these questions to better assess where your procrastination stems from. Half the battle is in knowing! Then it’s easy to put a plan in place to fix it.

Making it worthwhile again

While writing may be your passion it’s not always fun or easy. It can frustrate and even become a chore. Here are some things you might want to try and implement when you don’t feel like writing or that you are not making any progress.

 • If writing is difficult, implement a reward system for achieving milestones. For example, when you reach a specific word count you can give yourself a treat, whether it be a Starbucks break or a piece of that chocolate cake you’ve been craving. 

• If it’s boring you, stop for a minute. Do something else that’s a little exciting. Add an unexpected occurrence that will switch up the flow of the story. Or go on Pinterest for some ideas.

• If writing is tedious, take a nice long bubble bath or a hot shower to relax you. Unwind a bit. A frustrated mind will not be of any use to you or your writing. So don’t try to push through it. 

• If you feel like your writing is lacking any real meaning then it’s time to reevaluate if you're passionate about your project anymore. If you still are, try working through Writing with Intent as a way to remind yourself why your writing in the first place. 

• If your writing doesn’t give you a sense of reward, try reading some of your old work and tracking the progress of your writing, like with a word count sheet, to see how far you’ve come.

• And if you doubt your abilities remind yourself that you have the power to grow the way you want to. You are as good as you set out to be, so doubt has no place to interfere.

Implementing a Reward System

Hopefully, you have already taken my advice and are actively implementing a reward system, but if you still aren’t I strongly suggest you try it out.

Having a reward system in place will help you with most of the feelings listed above and encourage you to write with a goal in mind and provide you with a new purpose.

You could try having goals for word count, sitting down and writing for the full 30 or 45 minutes, completing a chapter, anything really. Reward yourself with something you have been craving or wanting to do. For example, get that new book you’ve been wanting, or go to take a look at a movie to get away from your writing for a while.

You can really reward yourself with anything you want.

All in all, overcoming procrastination (because that is what you have my friend) is as easy as putting your mind to it. Which by no means is easy for us procrastinators to actually put into action.

But by utilizing the aforementioned steps when you feel your will to write begin to slip, you'll slowly but surely build up the willpower you need to make conquering procrastination ever so much easier.

All of these steps that I have mentioned will work for you BUT I want you to ask yourself if you're truly passionate about the project you're working on.

Because if you aren't, these four steps are never going to work. And besides, why waste time and motivation on a project you don't enjoy when you could be working on something you love? Don't ever be afraid to set aside a project that just isn't the one for you. 

Fill your writing life with projects you’re passionate about, and you'll find it so much easier to conquer procrastination and kickstart your writing impetus.

Also, check it out!!

>>The Writers Planner << is your twelve-month guide to infusing writer, and human, and you all together into one lovely writing life. And, you'll accomplish one big writing goal while you do it. Through guided planning, daily to-do lists, trackers and story ideas, and consistent check-ins, you'll conquer your writing goal, strengthen your writing practice, and live a writing life you love.