Procrastination is the bane of many writers … or would-be writers. It can affect you at any stage of your writing life. And it’s one of the top problems I hear about (along with “time management” more generally) whenever I run a survey of Aliventures readers.

So what does procastination look like, when it comes to writing?

• Some people spend months, even years, trying to get round to writing, but never manage to get anything written. They might start a few projects, but never write more than a few pages.
• Others do write, quite regularly, but they end up spending far more time procrastinating than actually writing. They feel frustrated at the slow progress they’re making.

It’s easy to end up feeling like procrastination is just part of who you are, something you can’t change … but that’s not really the case.

Procrastination is simply a symptom of a cause: a sign that something in your writing world needs attention.

Here are three common problems that I see time and time again, in my own writing life and in the lives of other writers. Whether you’re working on a novel, short stories, freelance assignments, or even essays at school or university, some of these might look familiar to you:

Writing Procrastination Problem #1: Lack of Preparation

Procrastination can be a sign that you’re not quite ready to get started on the writing: you still need to do some groundwork. Maybe you don’t have a clear grasp of your characters, you don’t have an essay plan, or you haven’t done enough research.

If you feel lost and confused every time you think about your writing – if you just don’t know where to begin, or whether you’re doing it all wrong – then you may find it helps to spend a little more time on the “planning” stage of writing.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing:

• Set a timer for 15 minutes and get your writing space ready. If your notebooks, pens, etc are scattered around the house, it’s hard to sit down and get started … meaning it’s easy to end up procrastinating. But don’t spend ages setting things up. Give yourself 15 minutes to organise your space, then start on the writing. You can fine-tune your writing environment as time goes by.
• Create a plan for your project. With non-fiction projects, a detailed outline helps a lot. If you’re working on fiction, you’ll want to develop your characters and have some idea about the plot.

Writing Procrastination Problem #2: Too Many Projects

Perhaps you’ve been working on your novel sporadically for the past decade. You keep trying to fit it in, but other, more urgent, projects keep cropping up – that magazine article you pitched, those blog posts you want to write, and a bit of editing you promised to do for someone in your writers’ group.

This type of procrastination is particularly insidious because it feels like you’re being really productive. The only problem is, you’ve got a nagging sense of dissatisfaction: even though you’re getting lots of writing done, you wish you could finally finish your novel.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing:

• Say “no” to any new projects. If you make a living writing, this might not be an option – but can you at least cut back a bit? Could you turn down new clients that aren’t a good fit, for instance? Or can you hire some help with certain aspects of your work? (For writers with a lot of non-writing projects going on, could you say “no” to some of those?)
• Focus on just ONE longer-term project. Believe me, I know how hard it can be to settle on a single project when you’ve got loads of things to write … but you’ll make much faster progress if you focus on a single priority. If that’s too hard, how about picking one project to concentrate on for a month, then switching to another?

Writing Procrastination Problem #3: Feeling Afraid of Starting

This is the big one for many writers: procrastination gets bound up with a lack of confidence. I used to struggle with this a lot in the first few years of my writing career. I found it hard to get going with new pieces of writing because I knew that as soon as I started, all hopes of perfection would have to be set aside!

If you find yourself doing the dishes, clearing your inbox, tidying your desk, sharpening your pencils … anything but writing … then you may need to get past your fear of starting.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing:

• Set aside a time for writing. If you’ve got Sunday afternoon blocked out for starting work on your novel, it’s hard to make excuses. You might even want to book to go away for a short writing retreat, perhaps at a local hotel. If writing is a large part of what you do – perhaps as a student or a freelancer – then you could develop a routine that helps get you into writing mode each day.
• Write for just ten minutes. (And then keep going if you feel like it!) Set a timer and promise yourself that you’ll write until it goes off. Even if you only produce a couple of sentences, you’ve made a start. If you can’t face tackling the project you’re supposed to be working on, then write about anything at all: what you had for breakfast, what your plans are, what you’re worrying about with your writing.

Don’t let procrastination get the better of you. It can be tough to beat, however many “tips” you try, if you’re not looking at the root cause. So today, ask yourself what’s behind your procrastination … and do something to tackle it.

Beat Procrastination for Good With These Resources

If you’re looking for more help with beating procrastination and managing your time as a writer, I’ve got two great resources for you:

Supercharge Your Writing Session ($8) – a downloadable guide, plus bonus printables, to help you focus better, get more writing done, and enjoy the process more as well.

The Time Management Pack ($20) – a set of four self-study seminars, including a fantastic one with expert life coach Tim Brownson on beating procrastination and conquering writers’ block. As with all my seminar packs, all four seminars have full transcripts, plus nicely edited worksheets to make it easy for you to put what you learn into practice in your writing life.

Anything you buy from me (however little it costs) comes with free lifetime membership of the Aliventures Club, a private Facebook group just for Aliventures customers. This is a great place to share your writing plans, to get support and advice from other writers, and to chat about what you’re working on. It’s a very supportive, welcoming community and we’d love you to join us there.