Procrastination is not an uncommon thing among creators. It is one of the most common occurrences. Oftentimes, as writers, it’s “I’ll write that article later,” when you could be writing it now, or “I’ll do my research when I wake up,” when you have all the time in the world to do it.
And of course, it can just be putting off something you ought to do till the “perfect time” which honestly doesn’t exist.
Not to worry though, just as I said above, procrastination is a very common phenomenon, albeit a bad thing, which is why this article is here, to help you alleviate and manage procrastination better, which will in turn make you work smarter as a writer.
Before we go into that, let’s lay the groundwork. What exactly is procrastination?
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing a particular thing, especially over and over again. It is a situation where you continually put a certain happening, or job off, postpone it, or push it forward, way down your to-do list. That’s procrastination.
As writers, the time we use to procrastinate can be used to do so much more, especially what it is that we are supposed to be doing.
Why we often procrastinate:
Even knowing what procrastination is, doesn’t stop us from doing it sometimes. So it raises the question, why? Why do people still procrastinate even knowing what it can do?
Here are three good and actual reasons why you procrastinate.
• You’re waiting for the perfect time
It’s another common thing for us, as humans, to push certain things forward or to not do them simply because we are waiting for the perfect time, which again does not exist.
We want it to be in such a way that when we finally hit “publish” or when we finally click “research” everything should just fall in line, and then if everything is not looking well, we decide to wait, for that time, that sign, that thing that will make us know, ah yes, perfect time. That’s indeed one of the biggest reasons why we end up procrastinating even after what we know.
• Fear.
This can also be related to imposter syndrome, fear of failure, fear of not being perfect, fear of it not being the right time, fear of what people would say, fear of facing the blank sheet/screen, fear of what you’ll do if it doesn’t turn out well, and oh so many more fears. I honestly could go on, because yes, fear is terrible like that. It has sharp, biting claws that are ready to pick on any sign of hesitance and empower it.
Fear is a very huge reason why writers procrastinate.
• Lack of priorities.
Sometimes, all you need is to set your priorities right, because until you do, all your affairs are going to be pretty much all over the place. And that’s a fact.
Not setting your priorities straight can also cause you to procrastinate because at the end of the day, you’ll end up doing the minor things that need to be done and overlook the big ones simply because you have no plan or strategy in place.
Time waits for no one, and the earlier you start working based on that, the better.
Effects of procrastination on creative productivity
From the definition, we saw that procrastination stops you from doing what needs to be done, and that alone is more than enough consequence. But I’ll mention more, because there are a whole lot of effects of procrastination, not just to you, as a human, but to you as a creative, to your creative productivity.
• Drains your mental health.
You might find this hard to believe, but of course procrastination spreads its tendrils even to your emotional and mental health. The fear that’s stopping you from writing, and pushing you to procrastinate might eventually make you become weary, frustrated, angry at everything and nothing at the same time, tired even of doing nothing. And alas, it might drain you mentally. That’s one of the many works of procrastination.
• Procrastination can also lead to you losing out on opportunities.
Imagine being in a writers contest, perhaps, or a speaking contest, and instead of doing it or going for it right away, you procrastinate. What happens then? You might miss out on that opportunity. The opportunity to put yourself out there, to shine, to show your works, to be. You might miss out on it just because you procrastinated, and that alone can damage your productivity as a creator, because it can make you feel as if you’re doing nothing, just wasting your time.
• Lack of motivation.
You see, when you procrastinate, it’s not just not doing what needs to be done. It’s knowing that those things need to be done but not doing them regardless. It doesn’t mean you’re okay with it.
Now, procrastination can affect your productivity by also hindering your motivation.
Okay, let me break it down. Procrastination leads to the fear of not being good enough, to stress, it eats away at your time and opportunities and makes you feel stuck. Pray tell, what better way is there to lose motivation? And when you don’t have the motivation to write, to do, to be productive, then that’s really not a good thing.
Ways to manage procrastination and work smart as a creator:
As terrible as procrastination is, there are ways to manage it, and begin to work smart as a creator. I have highlighted some very effective ways below:
• Set “SMART” goals.
There’s a whole lot to this but I’ll try to break it down. I’ll start by saying that sometimes, the reason you end up doing nothing and procrastinating everything is that you set unreasonable goals. Yes, that’s a thing.
Now, having accepted–because it truly is the first step to overcoming it–that you’re battling with procrastination, you have to work smart. Set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
And before you set these goals, be strict with yourself. Ask yourself how and why.
Done that? Break these tasks. Don’t just crumple them together. Batch them separately, and ask yourself how you plan to achieve each of them. Write it down if possible.
• Start doing.
Yes, you have planned it all, but nothing magical will happen if you don’t put in the work. Do it now! That’s your mantra. Don’t overthink it. Just do it, with intention. And don’t forget that the little things matter. Start small, it’s what will build the big acts soon.
• Clear distractions.
Do away with apps that distract you, distracting environments, and whatever else that might keep you procrastinating.
In addition, always prioritise, be confident and be positive.
Conclusion
It’s work. It’s actual work to make procrastination stop for good, and to actually turn it around to make you work smarter as a writer. But it is attainable. After all, who said good things come easy?
Dear reader, you can battle procrastination. Believe that you can do it, and start putting in the work. Trust me, procrastination will soon be a thing of the past.
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