I’ve been taking some time off. I did take a few weeks off from my day job, but what I’m talking about here is the time that I have taken off from writing my next book.
Here we are almost at the end of January, and I’ve been using this time to refresh my mind, partake in self-care, and update my mindset. Did I mention that all of these terms, for me, are just code words for procrastination. I am a master procrastinator. But it’s ok; I do my best work under pressure (the first sign of denial.)
Over the years, I’ve read or listened to loads of books about how to fight this tendency. I just bought a new one that I plan to start on next week (are we seeing a pattern here?) What exactly is procrastination anyway?
Procrastinate : to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Here are some ways I plan to overcome my tendency to procrastinate:
The zero draft of my next novel has been sitting in my Scrivener program since the end of November when I completed NaNoWriMo. The raw, unfiltered manuscript sitting out there in my Dropbox folder consists of a pure, unedited jumble of words that I have to start revising this weekend. I hate revisions because they are hard and more challenging than writing the book, in my opinion. But like I said in my New Year Blog, my focus is on finishing book #2 and I’m already behind.
- Make a plan of action– Sometimes, it’s easier to get started on something when it’s divided up into bite-sized chunks. I will begin by setting a timer for 30 minutes per session and not stopping until the time is up. When I do this, I usually work longer than the timer.
- Have that Frog for breakfast– This is from one of the first books, Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracy, that I read about time management. It basically tells you to start with the hardest task first before doing anything else. It sounds like I will be setting my alarm for early mornings on the weekends — no sleeping in for the next few months.
- Act like I’m on a deadline– I dream of becoming a full-time author one day, and I’ve read about plenty of pros that say procrastination isn’t an option once you have contracts to fulfill. I have to put myself in that mindset to get things done. I’m announcing it to you all. My deadline to complete these revisions is April 30, 2020.
Now that I have given you guys a date, I can’t let you down. Now let’s hope that I don’t wait until mid-April to get started. I will come back later and let you know how things are going. Stay tuned for my revision process.
Are you a procrastinator like me? What tips and tricks do you have to get things done?
