Why Do Writers Procrastinate?
April 13, 2010 by Debra Marrs
Filed under Blog, Organizing, Organizing Your Time, Writing Tips
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Why Do Writer’s Procrastinate?
Or why does ANYONE procrastinate, for that matter?
During the 1990′s I taught time management and organization workshops to overstressed, uber-hurried professionals in the Silicon Valley. No matter what role they played in the corporate life, every one of them admitted to multiple things they put off and didn’t do. They procrastinated everything from following up with clients, filing reports, sending emails, cleaning off their desks, even asking the boss for a raise.
Writers are no different. We procrastinate for a number of reasons:
- Fear – of failure, success, inadequacy, being good enough, being found out, being real
- Overload – common when there’s always, always more to do than time for
- Overwhelm – the task seems so HUGE, it’s daunting
- No deadline – working without a clear target
- Lack of a clear purpose – moving forward without enough information or instruction
Are any of these reasons familiar to you? What are you putting off? What reasons do you give to justify the delays?
During the next several days, I’ll be posting tips and techniques for overcoming procrastination. These techniques work; they really DO. I know because I use them myself and recommend them to my coaching clients and memoir writing students all the time. Their successes prove that overcoming procrastination is possible.
Please leave a comment. Tell me if you procrastinate and why.
Then, click on Blog for more How To Overcome Procrastination tips.
Debra, I’m a HORRIBLE procrastinator! And I think you nailed my biggest reason: overwhelm. No deadline and even a lack of clear purpose play into it a little bit too. I’m really struggling with my goal of becoming more disciplined so I look forward to your tips!
I appreciate what you’re saying, Kathy. I struggle with big projects and the overwhelm ALL the time too. Tip #1 ought to be a good jumpstarter for you. When I chunk down my projects into bite-sized manageable to-do’s, I can get the project done 1 task at a time. Try it! And let me know what works for you too. Thanks for posting your comment. Big hug to a fellow procastinator.
Debra
Honestly? Because writing’s hard & mentally exhauting! But I love it!
I get that response a lot, Jodi. It is hard sometimes but not so much if we have a clear purpose and chunk down the phases. You really do have to love it to be successful, don’t you? Write on! Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate YOU!
Debra
My problems with procrastination are the big Os: Overload and Overwhelm. I am pulled in so many directions that overload quickly morphs into overwhelm. When that happens, I lose focus and fear creeps in.
The only thing I don’t struggle with is deadline. And that is because I’m good at setting deadlines for myself. Now, to remember a deadline is another story. But then, I have a good friend who reminds me.
Darrelyn, and who might that friend be? Deadlines, writing buds, and chunked down to do lists always help me. I’ll be posting a series of how-to’s this week so stop back by for more tips. Thank you, sistah!
Debra
I’ve been looking forward to your series on procrastination, Debra. I just did a blog post about my own reasons (click on my name for link) for my recent bout of procrastination, but I think it’s an ongoing issue. Having a deadline, as you mention, is helpful to me, which is probably why I have 8 published essays. When I was working on a memoir, I was thinking, “If I only had a book deal”…. But now that I’m starting a novel, I realize I’ve got to finish the whole book before querying agents. I think it will help me to have to have a chapter ready to submit to a workshop here and there.
Thanks for your comments, Susan. It sounds like you know yourself best and are on the right track with deadlines. Get a writing buddy who is just as serious as you are. And hold each other accountable. Writing contests are good for deadlines also.
Debra
Like Susan, I just did a blog post about this – GMTA? It’s after a major work is done that I’m foundering, even if there is a new project. Just mailed the taxes. Have to paint the screen door, do a wash, food shop, and those are the necessary ones.
There’s also the family censure – “We do not talk about what happens in this family!” All those eyes, all those pointing fingers. The implied threat.
Pat, I enjoyed your blog post. And it all sounds so familiar. You have achieved a great accomplishment with a published book. Check out Tip #1 – The Salami and Nibble Theory. Chunking down that next project may be just the key.
Debra
The “family censure” has been an issue for me as I’ve been trying to write memoir for two years. Now I’m starting a fiction novel instead. good luck, Pat!
I just realized that procrastination is rather like the shadow side of synergies. Instead of creating results greater than the sum of the parts, it’s not creating anything at all. (AKA stuck.) What I’m seeing with where I am now is that the learning and connecting situations that I put myself into — like the Book Breakthrough workshop, web site creation workshop, Molly Gordon’s “clients that fit just right course, and taking up Connie’s 30 day blogging challenge all seem to be conspiring to move me to a completely new place. They are creating immense synergies between the book, the marketing, the clients, and the audience, and doing it all simultaneously.
100% synergistic, Bobbye. I’m so happy for you to have put all the pieces together. There’s nothing worse than “stuck” especially when you want to be somewhere far beyond that. I’m so happy we’ve made the connections also and look forward to more synergies.
Debra
I appreciate what you’re saying, Kathy. I struggle with big projects and the overwhelm ALL the time too. Tip #1 ought to be a good jumpstarter for you. When I chunk down my projects into bite-sized manageable to-do’s, I can get the project done 1 task at a time. Try it! And let me know what works for you too. Thanks for posting your comment. Big hug to a fellow procastinator.
Debra
100% synergistic, Bobbye. I’m so happy for you to have put all the pieces together. There’s nothing worse than “stuck” especially when you want to be somewhere far beyond that. I’m so happy we’ve made the connections also and look forward to more synergies.
Debra
My problems with procrastination are the big Os: Overload and Overwhelm. I am pulled in so many directions that overload quickly morphs into overwhelm. When that happens, I lose focus and fear creeps in. The only thing I don’t struggle with is deadline. And that is because I’m good at setting deadlines for myself. Now, to remember a deadline is another story. But then, I have a good friend who reminds me.