Writing and procrastination: how to eliminate it

When we procrastinate, we're very rational about it.

We never say, "I'm just too lazy to write, I'm just going to the movies/ watching TV/ reading." We have perfectly good reasons we're not writing. We're too tired/ we've got a headache/ the kids are making too much noise/ we need to spend time with our partner.

Yes, we're rational, but we're procrastinating, nevertheless.

Writing just needs to be something you do. It needs to become a habit, like brushing your teeth or showering, or sleeping. Until it becomes a habit, you'll always find reasons not to write. We can always find a reason - there's always something we can convince ourselves completely plausibly that we should be doing rather than writing.

Break the procrastination habit: write three times a day.

Three times today, do a timed writing of five minutes. Just write wherever you happen to be. Write about whatever comes into your head. Start by describing three things you can see, and go on from there.

Do the five-minute, three-times-a-day timed writings for a week. This will help you to integrate writing into your day so that writing is just something you do - a habit.

This five minutes, three-times-a-day habit is easy to develop, and it's a sure procrastination killer. Everyone has five minutes, three times a day. So be cold-blooded about it, and just write.

There's more on how to end writers' procrastination for good in my ebook, "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More".

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