The procrastination trap: How to avoid it

Hi Reader,

The other day, I spent a morning watching an online writing course by a famous author.

I felt warm and fuzzy about the advice in this course…until later that night.

I realized I’d forgotten to write a daily email for my newsletter.

I was too busy scrubbing through his videos on x2.

Que a scramble to draft and write an email on my Macbook before bed.

I hate writing late at night because staring at my laptop messes up my sleep.

I also find it harder to write when tired.

But I’d only myself to blame.

Spending a morning taking a course instead of writing was a procrastination trap.

Because of some perceived momentum (completing video after video), I felt like I was working.

But in reality?

I was stuck inside a deceptive little trap that was hard to get out of.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

Writing courses are fun (and sometimes useful) but not first thing in the morning.

Completing a course and getting a digital badge won’t help me hit a word count, finish a creative project, or grow my writing business.

Get specific if you find yourself stuck in a procrastination trap like me.

What will you write?

When will you write?

Where will you write?

For how long?

And how will you know when it’s done?

Successful writers either hold themselves accountable or rely on external pressures to avoid the procrastination trap.

Ernest Hemingway famously kept a blackboard next to where he wrote.

Every day, he totalled up his word count and chalked it on the board to not fool himself.

Neil Gaiman forces himself to sit in a writing shed for several hours every day and either write… or do nothing.

I coach a few Pro Writers, and every week, I email them to see if they’re on track.

Now, I don’t use a blackboard like Hemingway.

But I like holding myself accountable with questions like the ones above. I also keep a simple daily checklist.

I’ve four items on my daily checklist for this season.

These items map to the goals for my writing business.

I tick these off on the whiteboard at the end of the working day.

• Write and send a daily email (you’re reading it!)
• Post on LinkedIn to grow my email list
• Make an offer to subscribers
• Help a client or customer

If I don’t tick these off, I’m either procrastinating or working on the wrong things at the wrong time… like taking a writing course first thing.

But if I tick these items off, I can keep the lights on in my writing business.

Then, I’m free to work on other creative projects, go to the gym, or scrub through a writing course.

Write on,
Bryan Collins

PS

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