Confessions of a Procrastinating Novelist

As a writer, I have deadlines to meet, but I always find myself putting things off until the last minute. I tell myself that I work best under pressure, but the truth is, I just don’t want to do the work. There are days when I’ll sit at my desk for hours, staring at a blank page, and instead of writing, I’ll find myself scrolling through social media or watching cat videos on YouTube. It’s a vicious cycle that I know I need to break.

One of the ways I’ve tried to combat procrastination is by setting small, achievable goals for myself. Instead of trying to write an entire chapter in one sitting, I’ll break it down into smaller tasks, like writing a certain number of words before taking a break. This helps me stay focused and motivated, and I find that I’m able to get more done in the long run.

Another thing that has helped me is embracing my procrastination tendencies instead of fighting against them. For example, if I know I have a deadline in a week, I’ll spend the first few days doing everything but writing. I’ll clean my work area, run errands, watch TV, and basically do anything to avoid the task at hand. But once I’ve reached that point where I can’t put it off any longer, I’ll sit down and finally start writing. And you know what? Sometimes it works.

Of course, there are times when procrastination gets the best of me, and I find myself frantically typing away at 3 am, trying to finish a project before the deadline. It’s not ideal, but it’s something that all writers experience at one point or another. Instead of beating myself up over it, I try to focus on the fact that I was able to complete the task, even if it wasn’t on my preferred timeline.

Conclusion:

Procrastination is something that affects everyone, and writers are no exception. While it can be frustrating to deal with, it’s important to remember that it’s not something that defines us. We can work around it, embrace it, or even use it to our advantage if we know how. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to keep writing and keep moving forward, no matter how slowly we may go. So go ahead and procrastinate, fellow writers. Just make sure you eventually get the job done.