D
Deleted member 29316
Guest
As authors, there would always come a time when--even if we really love what we do--we'll get lazy and procrastinate. It's perfectly normal, being an author myself. However, what if you're already done with being lazy and wanted to write your story, but procrastination just won't leave you alone?
Well, these are my experiences on dealing with such situations. Oh and please do take note that this is just a set of suggestions, and not a sure way to fix the problem. I mean, there are tons of ways how to pull one's self from procrastinating. I'm just sharing what I usually do.
Tip 1: I always set my goals. As a writer, I don't write without any end in sight. Before I go down writing my volumes, and even starting a story, I already knew its ending. This is so that, whenever I'm visited by Mr. Laziness or Procrastination, I could always go back to where I left off. Another benefit of this is that, you won't be easily get swayed by the rants of your readers, because hey, you're the author, and you know how to end your story.
Tip 2: If I can't do it in one sitting, I'd write in short bursts. This is also one way to get out of procrastination. A hundred words a day is good enough to be productive for your story. At least, it has progress. Writing the first scenes is always the most difficult part in starting a story.
Tip 3: If you don't like what you have just written, take a break. Yeah, I know it's kind of contrary to the topic, but yes, it's a viable solution. I mean, when we write our story's first few scenes, don't we always think that it sucks? Or it seems bad for the narrative as a whole? The thing is, there are times that our first drafts turn out to be a good idea once we took a break from pushing ourselves and return to what we have been writing. Think of it as your brain 'restarting' after being stressed out from pushing yourself.
Tip 4: If you can't start writing on a computer/phone/tablet, try writing in a notebook. Or try changing your environment. The idea is to have something different, just for you start writing. Think of yourself as a 'car' that needs a key to start.
Tip 5: Remove all distractions. If you focus yourself on what you set yourself to do, you'll soon find yourself enjoying it. For me, whenever I write, I always go on a 'social media hiatus'. I avoid games, Discord, Facebook, Youtube, Wikipedia and any other website, so that I could focus on my work.
Tip 6: Know yourself. Yep, though it's kind of off-topic, knowing one's self is good, if you aim to motivate yourself. Know your weaknesses, what things are you easily distracted with? How do you motivate yourself? As for me, for example, I know I'm a spontaneous person. I only write whenever I feel like it; so I always exploit that 'weakness' of mine. I plan my stories beforehand, and when that 'feeling of writing' comes, I write everyday until I reached the end of the volume that I planned ahead, or Mr. Procrastination comes back for a visit.
Tip 7: Congratulate yourself. Yeah, once you're done with your work, it's not a bad habit to let yourself indulge again in other things you like to do. It's kind of connected to tip #1, see? If you reached your goals (tip #1), then reward yourself (#7) so that you're motivated to do the next story you had in mind. And, yes, taking pride in what you've accomplished is good, just be careful not to let it get into your head. A person who always talks of his past hasn't accomplished much, or as that saying goes.
So there. I hope these tips helped in getting you out of procrastination. If others have tips or suggestions, feel free to add it here.
Well, these are my experiences on dealing with such situations. Oh and please do take note that this is just a set of suggestions, and not a sure way to fix the problem. I mean, there are tons of ways how to pull one's self from procrastinating. I'm just sharing what I usually do.
Tip 1: I always set my goals. As a writer, I don't write without any end in sight. Before I go down writing my volumes, and even starting a story, I already knew its ending. This is so that, whenever I'm visited by Mr. Laziness or Procrastination, I could always go back to where I left off. Another benefit of this is that, you won't be easily get swayed by the rants of your readers, because hey, you're the author, and you know how to end your story.
Tip 2: If I can't do it in one sitting, I'd write in short bursts. This is also one way to get out of procrastination. A hundred words a day is good enough to be productive for your story. At least, it has progress. Writing the first scenes is always the most difficult part in starting a story.
Tip 3: If you don't like what you have just written, take a break. Yeah, I know it's kind of contrary to the topic, but yes, it's a viable solution. I mean, when we write our story's first few scenes, don't we always think that it sucks? Or it seems bad for the narrative as a whole? The thing is, there are times that our first drafts turn out to be a good idea once we took a break from pushing ourselves and return to what we have been writing. Think of it as your brain 'restarting' after being stressed out from pushing yourself.
Tip 4: If you can't start writing on a computer/phone/tablet, try writing in a notebook. Or try changing your environment. The idea is to have something different, just for you start writing. Think of yourself as a 'car' that needs a key to start.
Tip 5: Remove all distractions. If you focus yourself on what you set yourself to do, you'll soon find yourself enjoying it. For me, whenever I write, I always go on a 'social media hiatus'. I avoid games, Discord, Facebook, Youtube, Wikipedia and any other website, so that I could focus on my work.
Tip 6: Know yourself. Yep, though it's kind of off-topic, knowing one's self is good, if you aim to motivate yourself. Know your weaknesses, what things are you easily distracted with? How do you motivate yourself? As for me, for example, I know I'm a spontaneous person. I only write whenever I feel like it; so I always exploit that 'weakness' of mine. I plan my stories beforehand, and when that 'feeling of writing' comes, I write everyday until I reached the end of the volume that I planned ahead, or Mr. Procrastination comes back for a visit.
Tip 7: Congratulate yourself. Yeah, once you're done with your work, it's not a bad habit to let yourself indulge again in other things you like to do. It's kind of connected to tip #1, see? If you reached your goals (tip #1), then reward yourself (#7) so that you're motivated to do the next story you had in mind. And, yes, taking pride in what you've accomplished is good, just be careful not to let it get into your head. A person who always talks of his past hasn't accomplished much, or as that saying goes.
So there. I hope these tips helped in getting you out of procrastination. If others have tips or suggestions, feel free to add it here.
