The team at Indie Scriptorium is excited to introduce our newest member, Berenice who joined us at the end of 2024. We hope you enjoy her insights into what challenges us as writers from time to time.
Procrastination
What it is, and what it isn’t.
It has been said that procrastination is ‘the thief of time’, and indeed it is, but it is very often misunderstood. How many times have we heard people describe themselves as a procrastinators when they turn up late for appointments, fail to meet deadlines or admit to having piles of unfinished projects that they meant to tackle when they had more free time? Procrastination can even be a common problem with writers of all genres.
In my personal experience, I have found that procrastination is more than a lack of time management skills, being disorganised or lacking motivation. In conversation with other writers who speak about their ambition to create significant works, they find that the end goal may feel daunting, causing them to avoid their projects and become distracted. I’ve heard of a description called ‘Imposter Syndrome’ where writers feel that their work is not good enough, that they are deluding themselves and may even experience the fear that their work may not achieve the desired outcomes, such as the approval of others, especially that of their more successful peers. I have realised that I often set high expectations of myself and in reviewing my work, question my ability, leading to hesitation, frustration and avoidance.
In the Shakespearian play of Richard 111, the king says, ‘I wasted time and now Time doth waste me,’ which is for me an apt description about how I feel about the many times I have put off doing writing tasks which have been waiting to be completed. I believe my issue is in aiming for perfection in my writing and spending endless hours editing, rewriting and revising my work, while anxiously aware that I am not progressing further than several reworked drafts. This causes self-doubt and stress as I worry that I might never finish the project which I started with so many ideas and enthusiasm.
The danger for people, like me, who know that they have a tendency to procrastinate, is that they are often inclined to ‘multi-task’ and get distracted by a whole range of disconnected activities instead of focussing on the one, single writing activity that requires their full attention. External distractions like social media, domestic duties, the telephone and television or personal hobbies can divert their attention away from writing. I may instinctively know that this is counterproductive and feel guilty about wasting precious time but may justify this by convincing myself that I will do better the next day, week or month, until often it all congeals into a familiar procrastinating blur…again. This may form a habit, creating a vicious cycle from which it seems virtually impossible to escape. When that happens to me, I feel embarrassed, stressed and vulnerable, avoiding the emotional task required to continue the work at hand.
I have spent many years trying to understand why, when I seemingly have no valid reason to put off performing some writing tasks, I often am caught at the last minute frantically working under stress to produce work of a high standard. Even if I micro-manage my time to avoid this occurring, it still happens. Even identifying as a procrastinator is tantamount to assuming that there is a controlling mechanism in my brain holding me ransom to a habit I am struggling to break. It has not always been so. As a studious child and student, I found the creative experience of writing my joy and pleasure, a circumstance that ironically carries on to this day as a mature person.
Ask yourself, ‘What have I as a so-called procrastinator done to help overcome the feelings of being overwhelmed, fear of failure, self-doubt, burn-out and disappointment?’
These are some of the strategies that I have employed that might prove helpful.
- First of all, recognise that you might be having a problem and that you can do something to minimise the situation.
- Set smaller tasks in your writing project. These may be a certain number of words, or a manageable amount of writing time, with a timer to help you stay on task. (I have a cute little kitchen chook timer.)
- Don’t include detailed editing for every session of writing, other than the obvious small spelling and punctuation errors as they arise. (I use the Review function in Windows.)
- The review function Read Aloud may help to pick up minor errors.
- Join a writing group such as “Shut Up and Write’ where the focus is on actually writing for a set time, not talking, critiquing or sharing during the writing session.
- Positive SELF-TALK. I Am, not I’m Not…….
- Avoid multi-tasking instead of writing. Do the necessary distracting activities first, then stop and concentrate on writing. Focus on that. If the phone rings, ignore it. You can check your messages later.
- Don’t stress if you can’t spend time writing because of family obligations, appointments and other social activities. Enjoy a healthy, happy, active lifestyle as far as possible.
- Writing can be hard. But that’s okay. Choose your own way of managing the demands on your time but give your writing the attention and enthusiasm it deserves.
- Procrastination can also be a coping mechanism when you are working too long on a project, allowing you time to rest and recover. If you are not being overworked by writing too much, for too many hours…this does not apply to you. Hint Wink!
- Find a supportive friend, fellow writer, mentor who will offer constructive criticism and encouragement. That includes YOURSELF.
Good Luck with your projects.
© Berenice Norris 2025
Feature Photo: Waiting for a Feed, Baby Magpies ©L.M. Kling 2020
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