“Writing is 90% procrastination. It is a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write.”
– Paul Rudnick
Many writers struggle to overcome procrastination.
As an aspiring writer or someone who’s starting out a career in freelance writing, you might have been in one of these situations:
- You said you’ll write and finish a blog post for your portfolio today, but you keep pushing it to tomorrow since there’s no deadline.
- You keep researching and reading blogs to get more information on your writing topic when you already have enough to start.
- You cleaned your desk and vowed to start writing, but you felt overwhelmed when you saw the blank document and blinking cursor. So you grab your phone and open FB instead.
If you’ve done something similar to the things above, know that you’re not alone.
Often, we view procrastination as a result of a lack of discipline or self-control, but that’s not always the case. Procrastination is more complicated than that.
WHY DO WE PROCRASTINATE?
There are several reasons, but I will name the three common ones:
1. Impostor syndrome
This is a global phenomenon and is experienced by 70% of people regardless of age, gender, and race.
Impostor syndrome is when you feel like a fraud. It is an internal conflict to which you feel like you don’t deserve your accomplishments and are scared that sooner or later, people will discover that you’re unworthy, undeserving and that you are not who they perceive you to be.
When you struggle with impostor syndrome, you tend to doubt yourself and your output. Even if people praised your work, there’s still a nudging feeling in your gut saying that you’re not good enough. To avoid this, you start delaying tasks and choose to wait for the deadline or until you have no choice but to write.
2. Poor time management
Not identifying priorities is a dangerous mistake that a lot of writers make. When you don’t have a to-do list, or you don’t know the things you need to accomplish in a day, you will end up doing everything that asks for your attention, regardless of whether it’s essential or not.
Not managing your time wisely can also cause stress and make you feel overwhelmed to the point that you hold yourself back on doing challenging projects because, in your mind, you know that there’s still tomorrow.
3. Lack of Inspiration
Motivation is something we value as a writer. When we are motivated or inspired, we feel like we can do everything. It is what drives us to do what needs to be done.
But inspiration doesn’t come all the time, and this is where the problem arises. Instead of looking for inspiration or taking action, we wait instead. We delay until we feel motivated to write again.
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NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PROCRASTINATING
Some studies show that procrastinating can cause stress, contributing to adverse effects on your mental and physical health.
A study conducted by Psychology Today found out that students who love to procrastinate are more susceptible to colds, flu, and gastrointestinal problems.
Another study stated that chronic procrastination can make you more vulnerable to severe health conditions, like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
2. It can deteriorate your performance and learning ability.
In a research conducted in 2020 by Akpur, he found out that procrastination affects students’ academic performance and health. Thus concluding that procrastinators rarely end up successful.
Another study showed that students who were asked to submit their work earlier or on the deadline tend to do better than when they passed their assignments later than the deadline.
3. It affects your self-esteem.
In a research article of the Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences, they mentioned that chronic procrastinators are likely to be highly anxious and have low self-esteem.
This study states that low self-esteem people don’t trust themselves and often delay activities to protect themselves from the fear of failing. And as you procrastinate, your self-esteem will suffer more.
An online survey conducted by The Procrastination Research Group also showed that people who often procrastinate are unhappy.
HOW TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION IN WRITING
1. Keep a writing routine.
Building a habit of writing every day can help you beat procrastination.
Find a peaceful area in your house and set aside some time for your writing practice. It will also help if you have a goal for how many words you need to write a day and a calendar to keep track of your habit.
2. Evaluate your writing strengths and weaknesses.
Identifying them will help you strategize your approach in writing. It’s also an excellent way to avoid wasting your time and effort by focusing more on your strengths than your weaknesses.
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3. Breakdown projects into manageable tasks.
Imagine eating a whole pizza without slicing it. Do you think it’s possible?
That’s what our brain feels whenever we try to accomplish big projects without dividing them into smaller pieces.
If your goal is to publish a book in six months, break down what you need to do until they are achievable. Divide your tasks as small as they can be.
For example:
- Write down my ideas for the book.
- Talk to my friend who publishes books and ask for some tips.
- Write 200 words a day.
- Do some research about X for 10 minutes.
Looks easier, right?
4. Implement a reward or penalty system.
Most of us need to feel accountable before we can fully commit and take action. Having a reward or penalty system will help you stay focused on the project or goal that you want to achieve.
Take note that the reward or punishment that you’ll establish should also depend on the size of the task you want to accomplish.
For example, you were able to finish and write 1,000 words today. Since that’s only a part of a bigger goal, you can give yourself a small reward, such as buying your favorite drink or giving yourself an hour to watch your favorite movie.
If you could write and publish your eBook in 6 months, you can reward yourself by going on a trip for one or two weeks. The same goes for punishment.
Even if you’ve been procrastinating for a long time, you can still change. First, you need to change your mindset. Second, just follow the steps above and you’ll surely see some improvements.
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SOURCES:
Akpur, U. (2020). The Effect Of Procrastination On Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Study. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 6(4), 681-690. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.6.4.681
Jones, I., & Blankenship, D. (2020). Year two: Effect of procrastination on academic performance of undergraduate online students. Research in Higher Education Journal, 39. https://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/203207.pdf
Levin, Z. (2019, September 26). Negative effects of procrastination and how to overcome them. Retrieved February 05, 2021, from http://mihsislander.org/2016/04/procrastination/
Sirois, F. M. (2015). Is procrastination a vulnerability factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease? Testing an extension of the procrastination–health model. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10865-015-9629-2
Ferrari J (1994). Dysfunctional procrastination and its relationship with self esteem interpersonal dependency, and self-defeating behaviors. Journal of Personality and Individual Difference 5(17) 673-679
Jonah helps freelancers and entrepreneurs promote their personal brand or business by teaching writing and content marketing principles. During a casual day off, she enjoys painting, shopping for home decors, watching Netflix, or hosting meetups with friends.