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The Art of Procrastination
By Margaret Terhune
My friends and family think of me as an organized, efficient person. I pay my bills on time, keep my house relatively clean and remember most people’s birthdays. When it comes to my writing life, however, things are a little bit different. Organization and efficiency, neatness and cleanliness become wonderful reasons to put off working. It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing. I wouldn’t spend so much time doing it if I didn’t love it. It’s just that, sometimes, it takes me a little while to get started.
On a typical morning, for example, I pay my bills, tidy my desk, check my e-mail (and answer pressing messages), read writing-related newsletters, log onto the internet to check a few writing sites and try my luck at my favorite trivia sites. Then I play a few games of Solitaire until lunchtime. After lunch, when I’ve run out of things to keep my busy, I happily write until my hands cramp up, my eyes bug out or the dog asks to go for a walk (whichever comes first).
This scenario mostly plays itself out when I am between assignments or working on long-term projects. When a deadline looms near, these diversions disappear and my more focused writing self takes over. I have developed some successful counter-procrastination measures which allow me to write without the usual delays.
I try to allot one morning a week for the business side of things: bills, correspondence, sending out guideline requests, reading newsletters and magazines. Everything that comes in after that goes into a drawer until the following week.
Once I turn on my computer, I open my word-processing program and immediately start work. Bypassing the lures of the internet, I save e-mail, trivia and games for an end of day reward.
Since I’m usually working on more than one project at a time, I try to keep related items in their own piles – around, but not on the desk. When I need ideas or research notes for a specific article, they’re accessible and already organized.
I keep a desk calendar for writing deadlines and refer to it frequently. I also try to assign myself personal “due dates” for unsolicited pieces. This helps me avoid lengthy spans of chronic procrastination and keeps me motivated during dry spells.
Of course, procrastination in moderation can be very helpful. There’s nothing wrong with being organized as long as it doesn’t impede the basic writing process. Taking a few minutes to create physical order clears the mind and helps concentration. When writer’s block strikes (as it frequently does), sifting through a pile of writing-related material can spark new ideas. Once in a while, I’ll spend half a day going through old files and I usually discover treasure: a story that’s ready to be re-written or a forgotten page of notes that inspires a new piece.
So now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to work. After I take the dog for a walk, that is…
AGENTS & EDITORS
- 60 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 – Paying markets
- Agents: Knowing When To Hold One and When To Fold
- Getting Offers from Multiple Literary Agents
- Literary Agents List
- Preditors and Editors
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Tips for a Successful Editor Appointment
- Want More? Here’s How to Get It
- What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel
- Windup for the (Story) Pitch
- Write the Perfect Book Proposal
CALLS FOR SUBMISSION
- 2022 JUN Calls for Submission
- 2022 MAY Calls for Submission
- 2022 APR Calls for Submission
- 2022 MAR Calls for Submission
- 2022 FEB Calls for Submission
- 2022 JAN Calls for Submission
- 2021 DEC Calls for Submissions
- 2021 NOV Calls for Submission
- 2021 OCT Calls for Submissions
- 2021 SEP Calls for Submissions
- 60 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 – Paying markets
COMPUTER TIPS
FORMATTING & GRAMMAR
- Achieving 250 Words / 25 Lines Per Page
- And Sammy, too? Oh, No!
- Changing Double Hyphens to EM Dashes in Word
- Edit Easier
- High Hopes–Avoiding Common Mistakes
- Misused Words
- Navigating In Your Novel
- Proofreaders Marks
- Research Links
- Rules for Writers
- Slang and Jargon Souces
- Tightening Your Manuscript and Trimming the Word Count
MARKETS
- 35 Online Work Ideas to Earn Good Money Whilst Studying
- Copyright Primer, Know Your Rights
- EBooks-Fears to Possibilities
- Finding Markets Fiction and Nonfiction
- Freelance Writing 101
- How To Be a (Shiver) Reporter
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Magazine Links
- Making Money As a Corporate Freelancer
- Market News–All Genres
- Newspaper Writing Resources
- Path to Self-Publishing Success
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Science Writing Organizations
- Selling to Children’s Markets
- Submission Tracking
- Submitting to UK Markets
- Syndication 101
- To Specialize, or Not to Specialize?
- Why E-Books?
- Writing Groups List
- Youth Writing Markets
MOTIVATION
- A Dream Realized
- Finding Time to Write
- Five Ways to Promote Yourself
- Fun Inspirations 1
- Fun Inspirations 2
- How Not to Procrastinate
- How to Quit Writing and End up on the Bestseller Lists
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Making Time for Self-Care While Running a Business
- Moving Up the Rejection Ladder
- Pop Quiz: Who Are You?
- Rules for Writers
- The Art of Being Rejected–475 Words
- The Juggling Act
- The Literary Food Chain
- Write Better Naked
- Writer’s Conferences Do You Really Need To Attend?
- Writing By Moonlight
PUBLISHING
- 60 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 – Paying markets
- Copyright Primer, Know Your Rights
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Making Money As a Corporate Freelancer
- Path to Self-Publishing Success
- Publishers Websites
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Submission Tracking
- The Great Limbo Mystery Question
WRITER'S BLOCK & TOOLS
WRITER'S LIFE
WRITING CONTESTS
ABOUT WRITING CONTESTS
WRITING CONTESTS
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• ALL WRITING CONTESTS
- 2022 JUN Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 MAY Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 APR Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 FEB Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 JAN Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2021 DEC Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2021 NOV-JAN Writing Contests, Webinars
- 2021 OCT-DEC Contests & Workshops
- 2021 SEP-NOV Contests & Workshops
- 2021 AUG-SEP Contests & Workshops
- 2021 JUL-SEP Contests & Workshops
- 2021 JUN-AUG Contests & Workshops