Productive Procrastination

I know you’re looking at the title and thinking, “Hah! How long did you put off writing this post?” or “Procrastinators Unite!!! …Tomorrow.”

The truth is I’m actually writing this while putting off other things. I’m procrastinating from researching colourful birds (seriously, I need to know a lot about birds for my next work) with writing this blog post.

When it comes to writing, there are a lot of times when we look at our work and think, “Not right now! I have so much else to do!” We pile on all the chores that we could easily do later or put off longer in lieu of actually getting what we perceive as WORK done.

For me, researching is work. I am really not a fan. Do I like knowing stuff? Absolutely. Do I know it will make my writing better? You betcha! Do I like expensing my time trying to find those diamonds for my work, sifting through all sorts of useless web pages? No. Absolutely no.

So, welcome to your excuse. There are a lot of things you can do that will enable you to succeed at your writing career and build your platform while they are not actually the thing you are currently perceiving as the dreaded WORK.

Write a blog post or journal entry! Essays on writing or personal experiences and how they shaped you can enable you to see deeper into your process and guide you through times later when you forget the event you are recalling with a crisp vividness that right now has. Write the post. Don’t have a blog? Totally fine. Save it. Bank essays to build up a pool that you can use later when you have a blog you want to keep running to promote your writing career.
Create promotional materials. Open up Photoshop and work on distributable cards for your currently available works or gives some business cards some personal, crafty touches to make you memorable at conferences. Productive crafting! Marketing crafting!
Go for a run. For those who are doubling over laughing at the thought of running, go for a walk. Take a notebook or be ready to type notes into your phone. Little sparks my creativity like physical activity. I lose myself in music and scenes bubble forth to fit the mood of the music. Once I write those out, my mind is open for new ones. Take a meander around your neighbourhood or somewhere else scenic to spark some ideas.
Read a short story. A quick snippet of something else will keep your thoughts agile. Either in your genre or outside your genre, just a little bit of something different to give you a boost.
Take a nap. If all you’re doing is thinking about a nap and how blissful it would be to have one, set an alarm and take a nap. No shame in needing sleep.

Dexter in the Sunshine

But that can’t be all there is to this, can it? It isn’t. The point of productive procrastination is that you don’t lose yourself in the procrastination. Keep these things in mind:

Keep your eye on the prize. You want to write a novel? Well, all the promotional work isn’t going to get it done. Keep your eye on the bigger root of your goal and don’t forget the foundation of the things you need to get done to make it happen.
Set a timer. I love timers. Set it, work fast and hard, timer goes off, marvel at the work you’ve done. You can set for a few sprints to get the procrastination item done, but you need to delineate the time ahead of procrastinating. Half an hour for a blog post? Sounds great. Then do the WORK thing.
Use it wisely. Productive procrastination can be a starting block to get the ball rolling….or it can be a prize to motivate you through the dreaded WORK.
Don’t look down. Don’t judge yourself negatively got wanting to change up the work flow a bit. There is nothing wrong with needing a break. You can always redeem yourself by returning to the WORK.