Understanding How Our Emotions Fuel Writing Procrastination

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt
Procrastination seems to be a common problem among writers.
If I could, I’d ask you to raise your hands if you procrastinate about writing. I’ll assume the majority of you would admit to ignoring your various deadlines, choosing instead to clean out your junk drawer or to organize your sea glass collection or to read another author’s book that’s languished too long on your to-be-read pile.
I’ll also admit writing this post is an act of procrastination. Don’t get me wrong, I had a deadline to meet for this blog, but I also have a novella deadline. Right now? I put off that project by focusing on writing today’s post.
Sneaky, right?
We could talk about how to stop procrastinating. I could list 5 easy steps or 3 quick tips to conquer procrastination. But as I considered how easy it is for me to put things off—even things I want to do, things I know I need to do—I wondered why. 
Why do I procrastinate? 
I found an interesting answer to that question in a 2019 New York Times article titled “Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do with Self-Control).” In the article, Dr. Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield, said procrastination is irrational. Thank you very much! She added, “People engage in this irrational cycle of chronic procrastination because of the inability to manage negative moods around a task.” 
Okay … Professor Sirois says we procrastinate because we’re moody.
Sort of.
In the same NYT’s article, Dr. Tim Pychyl, a professor of psychology and member of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University of Ottawa, said, “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem.” 
In other words, certain challenging tasks, such as writing a first draft or meeting a deadline, create negative emotions like anxiety or doubt or frustration. We cope with these unwanted emotions by procrastinating. However, putting off writing only increases our anxiety, doubt, and frustration—creating the “irrational cycle of chronic procrastination” mentioned by Dr. Sirois.
Makes sense to me. 
I procrastinate. You procrastinate. But it’s not that we need time management hacks. It’s that we need to understand—and manage—our emotions better. 
When the urge to avoid a writing project hits, we need to stop and evaluate what we’re feeling. 
Self-doubt? Resentment? Insecurity?
Why do I procrastinate about writing my novella? I’m anxious because I always get interrupted multiple times when I write (and I do mean always). Interruptions frustrate me and cause my creativity to fizzle. Why start writing when I’m going to be interrupted? 
So now I understand the specific emotion fueling my procrastination.
Next step? To finish writing this blog post and get back to writing my novella. Yes, I’m anxious, but I can deal with that by putting on my headphones—great way to block out distractions—and announcing, “I’m writing!” to my family. A verbal “Do Not Cross This Line,” if you will.
Anxiety and frustration dealt with. Blog post written. Time to write my novella.
How has learning our emotions fuel our procrastination helped you as a writer?
TWEETABLEUnderstanding How Our Emotions Fuel #Writing Procrastination  - @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Having authored nine contemporary romance novels and novellas, The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series with Tyndale House Publishers, releasers May 2020. Other books in the women’s fiction series include Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.