Procrastination. The Thief Of A Writer'

Procrastination
The Thief Of A Writer’s Time.

         Are you guilty of procrastination?  Especially when it comes to writing projects?  I know I am.  There are days that I will sit and look at my computer and think, Gosh I should be writing.  Perhaps later.  Then later comes and I find that I still have not written a single word.  I am a procrastinator...I admit it.

         Procrastination has a sneaky way of eating up valuable writing time.  Time that we can never get back, so what is a person to do????  How can this thief of time be overcome?  Well, this is how I have tackled this slippery slope.  I created a twenty-one day plan that has helped me become less of a procrastinator and more active in my writing.  Why twenty-one days?  It takes twenty-one days to form a habit.  In repeating the process for this amount of time I am forming a habit...a good one that leads me to write each and every day.  If you have found that procrastination is one beast you would like to conquer...then try for twenty-one days to follow the plan that has helped me. 

         Tools that you will need:
         ✓          A Notebook
         ✓          A decorative box
         ✓          A timer/alarm
         ✓          1 hour commitment each day

         The Notebook. Many times, procrastination occurs because of too many ideas and having to choose just one.  If this is the case,  I found a small, fat notebook is perfect for recording all those ideas in one place for later use.  I found a notebook that easily fits in my purse.  I cannot possibly pursue all the writing ideas I come up with everyday...but, I also do not want to lose them so having a notebook handy at all times allows me to write down any thoughts, ideas or even just a word that pops into my head. 

         The Decorative Box:  If coming up with writing ideas is a problem, then this decorative box is just the solution.  I often will procrastinate on writing because I am in a dry spell.  My ideas have run out.  To combat this, I collect quotes, magazine articles, news stories, etc.  Rather than having all of these just scattered around, I stash them in my decorative box for future use.  When I run dry on writing projects, I just pull out my box, rifle through and choose a prompt.  It also keeps my mind from jumping between writing projects....my collection is there when I need it.

         By now you might be asking what these two items have to do with procrastination.  Simply put, to me ideas and information are like a huge buffet table full of delicious food...the choices are too many and I do not know which writing project to tackle first.  The confused mind will do nothing...hence, the procrastination.  By having a system that keeps me organized, it will be much easier to concentrate on the project at hand.  By having the Notebook, The Decorative Box, I will be able to take ideas and information and set it aside for later use.  I will not worry about forgetting what I thought would make a great story because it is there and waiting for me once I am ready to pick it up and begin.
         
         Next I would like to ask what you are willing to give up to move up as a serious writer.  One hour worth of television or maybe one hour  of sleep?  In order to commit to writing each and every day, you will need to make the time to do so.  A famous woman, Mary Kay Ash, who was the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, was a highly creative woman when it came to time management.  She invented what she called the ‘Five O’clock Club’ and challenged each and every member of her staff to join her.  She found that when she got up two hours earlier than the rest of her family she got more done.  She knew that with raising a family, running a multimillion dollar company and trying to do all those things that were required of her she would need to be creative with carving out some extra time to focus on her work. 
         So, in order to commit to your writing aspirations, you must absolutely set aside the time to do so.  For one hour each day set your timer, turn off the telephone and write.  Do this for twenty-one days and it will soon beat down that procrastination monster that resides in your head.