Procrastination is my constant companion. After all, why put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow? The problem with procrastination is that sooner or later the deadline arrives anyhow, and you still are faced with the necessity of completing the task on time. Writer’s block is similar.
Over time, I have picked up a few “favorite” tasks to do in procrastination mode. On my list of necessary evils, housework falls somewhere between doing my tax returns and getting a tetanus shot, unless I have a major deadline. Then housework shoots right up to the top of my list of priorities. My apartment in college was cleanest right before exams.
Reading is a good thing to do any time, but it definitely works for procrastination purposes. Even better than reading for procrastination on a writing project is something like a computer game, which puts me at a computer with my fingers moving, giving me the illusion of accomplishing something. Googling random pieces of information on the computer are another procrastination tool.
Sadly, no matter what side efforts I drift into, the river of time pushes forward, and the deadline continues to approach. If the deadline involves writing, as for me it usually does, whether inspired or not, I reach a moment where I must force myself into a chair, put my fingers on the keyboard and start producing words. Even if what comes out is boring twaddle, at least I have something to work with and edit. Sometimes, the words I thought were the absolute worst as I was writing them turn out to be much better than expected.
Have you any good tips for breaking either writer’s block or procrastination cycles? I could certainly use them.
