How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing

Procrastination, the habit of delaying or avoiding tasks, is one of the most significant obstacles that holds people back from accomplishing their professional and personal goals. Everyone has experienced it at some point in their lives and most people experience it on a daily basis. However, getting into the habit of procrastinating can be detrimental to your writing career. It can also take a toll on your health.

Studies have shown that people who procrastinate regularly on priority tasks have weaker immune systems, are more susceptible to flus and colds, and are also more likely to have problems sleeping.  When it comes to writing, procrastination can cause you to be stuck with a blank page for a long time which can cause you to get frustrated with yourself which can cause you to take a break and the cycle continues.

I feel your pain. It’s easy to come up with hundreds of things you need to do before you start writing. Wash dishes. Vacuum. Check e-mail and social media. Get comfortable in your chair. Decide to change chairs. Go chair-shopping.

You can work yourself into a tizzy just thinking about the tasks you need to do. The bigger you make them in your mind, the more difficult it becomes to get started. If you haven’t been able to even write the first sentence yet or figure out the topic, I would suggest the 2-minute rule which was introduced by David Allen in his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

Rather than worrying about starting your project all day or making a long to-do list that you ignore, take just TWO minutes to get started. Write your topic. Or the beginning of your outline. Or the first two sentences.

Now that you have started, you can spend another 2 minutes you have available for taking the next step. Soon, you’ll be working in the flow for twenty minutes and then perhaps two hours.

There are more helpful tips to help you overcome procrastination and reach your goals.

  1. Change your mind.

    The expectation that you have to do something perfectly can hold you back. Realize that you are not expected to complete the task perfectly. You just need to get started.

  2. Define your goal.

  3. Set up your writing space so that you’re ready to write when you have your two available minutes and don’t end up spending your time updating your computer or cleaning the desk.

  4. Take at least 2 minutes to focus on your writing.

  5. Create a plan or outline for the project. Break it up into smaller pieces to make it more manageable. If you need a helpful process, check out the Snowflake Method

  6. Stay accountable. Ask someone you to trust to hold you accountable for finishing the task(s).

  7. Brainstorm ways to make it more enjoyable. 

  8. Schedule. In order to avoid thinking about it all day, schedule a certain time during the day that you will do the task and stick to it. 

  9. Reward yourself. Give yourself a small reward for finishing the task.

  10. Keep a journal of how you were able to beat procrastination and refer to that journal for help on future goals.

Super Speaker makes public-speaking fun

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In the fifth grade, I won the class spelling bee but didn’t want to represent my grade in the school spelling bee because I was afraid of public-speaking. Then in high school, I slowly and painfully made it through a speech on astrology (we had to choose a topic on the supernatural). Although I had always received good grades for my writing, I knew that my speaking was subpar. It was a surprise that later in life I became a corporate trainer, speaking in front of hundreds of people in a variety of companies.

However, the road was rocky and I wished I’d learned public speaking earlier. And I’ve heard many people say the same thing. It’s one of the most important skills, but many people will reach adulthood without having had much practice with it. Just as kids can learn foreign languages easier when they’re younger, it may also benefit them to learn presentation skills at a younger age.

There are many benefits to learning and improving speaking skills when you’re young.

1)       Builds confidence and helps you stand up for yourself

2)      Makes it more likely that you’ll be able to explain an idea in a way that will get people to listen

3)      Be able to create good arguments for your views when someone disagrees with you

4)      Builds empathy. In order to connect with people in your audience, you have to consider their needs and what interests them

5)      Allows you to use your creativity to come up with the best way to get your point across

6)      Provides practice researching the details of a topic

7)      Helps you be prepared for interviews with potential employers in the future

8)      In the age of technology and social media, it can help you connect with people and get more comfortable communicating in-person instead of from behind a computer or phone screen  

9)      Gives you the confidence to ask questions

Although more schools are requiring kids to start giving presentations at a younger age, it’s rare that a kid will want to work on these skills for fun. I know that I wasn’t up for it at that age. It was always more fun for me to learn by reading a story rather than getting information from a textbook, so I created an entertaining fiction story that also provides kids with a guide to the basic principles of being a successful speaker using the 5 P’s of Presentations.

5 P's of Presentations

1) Point

2) Prepare

3) Practice

4) Play

5) Present

About Super Speaker

Gia Dorsey is an outspoken, funny, and clumsy sixth-grader, otherwise known as Super She, a TV show superhero alias she gave herself to feel more confident – confidence she needs to save kids from bullies, give a speech, and do the scariest thing of all – start middle school.

It’s not me, it’s Super She, Gia thinks to herself after doing outlandish things such as speaking at a school assembly, pulling a prank in History class, and doing an impromptu cheer at a soccer game. After all, she’s willing to do anything to stop perfectly perfect Cora Dressler from stealing her best friend, Lance Garrett.

But Lance thinks that Cora can do no wrong and is even sure she’ll win the Speech Masters Contest. When Gia’s new friend, Annabelle Hale, enters this public-speaking contest, Gia is determined to help her win. She volunteers to coach Annabelle on the 5 P’s of Presentations and also starts a “little rumor” about Cora.

However, when the rumor spreads like wildfire and risks burning her friendships, Gia can’t rely on Super She’s superpowers. Instead, plain old Gia Dorsey must use her own powers.

This story captures middle school angst in a humorous way and shows that a superhero lives inside each person, but can only be discovered if she’s able to overcome fears and be her true self.

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5 Reasons to Read a Book Today

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5 Reasons to Read a Book Today

Want to explore a new world without leaving your bedroom? There’s a simple and healthy way to do it – reading! These days, we can easily get swept away into the world of the Internet, phone, and text messages, but reading a book has many advantages you may not have considered. Here are five benefits of reading.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Sheila Nazari Book Author