A writer's first law?
Despite being a type-A high achiever known for getting stuff done, I'm also a person who struggles with procrastination. Let me rephrase that: I struggle to prioritize my writing.
I started my next book, a memoir about our 100-year-old family cottage (pictured above), during my MFA program. When I graduated last spring, I took a break from it, like many of my classmates. I think it’s healthy to do this—to step away from a big project once in a while, especially when it involves creative work—and I didn’t judge myself for it. This is the kind of pace endorsed by Cal Newport in his latest book, Slow Productivity. The first month went by, and then another. I just need the summer off, I told myself. Besides, I wasn’t totally stopping; I was researching and reading and interviewing. It was all a form of progress, but I knew I needed to actually start writing again.
In September, I decided Fridays would be my writing day. But I kept avoiding the blank screen. One Friday I was overwhelmed by other deadlines—"more important” work. Another Friday I spent transcribing an interview, but still not writing. There was always an excuse (another priority), but it was all a form of procrastination.
Finally, in January, determined to turn things around, I gave myself permission to freewrite for a change. Freewriting is a form of brainstorming; you just write freely without stopping. You don’t set out to produce something in particular, and everything is valid. I didn’t use any prompts. I just began with what was in front of me: the weather, the sounds, the light. What I was feeling in my body, in my bones, in my heart. It was easy and it felt good. It felt like I was finally producing something, even if it wouldn’t end up in the book.
But then a funny thing happened. The more I wrote, the more I wrote.
I went from feeling stuck to finding flow, from procrastination to productivity, from everything-is-more-important to nothing-is-more-important. It turns out all I needed was to get over my state of inertia, and then ride the momentum.
This is not a new concept. Lots of authors swear by their writing routine, and it's painfully obvious to say "the solution to procrastination is to do the thing." But I was surprised by these two unexpected discoveries:
1. Once a week is enough. A lot of people say you should write every day. I used to think that a daily routine would be required for momentum to work, but for me, once a week is still impactful.
2. I finish every Friday session feeling excited about the next one. Every other day of the week, I'm inhabiting my book in a whole new way; I think about it all the time. I jot down ideas, I ruminate. It comes up in conversation much more often. I knew a routine would help, but I didn't know it would fire up my creative energy like this.
The next time you find yourself procrastinating, I hope this helps you too: start a small, fun, sustainable habit. It might not even need to be the task itself, but something adjacent to it. When you find your wins multiplying, I hope you also find your project getting back on track.
What are some of your procrastination hacks?
