3 ways you may have never heard of to overcome procrastination when writing

Procrastinating tasks is easy, overcoming them is hard. You have probably heard and read about the top things you can do to stop procrastinating.(splitting big goals into small ones, eliminating distractions, applying the pomodoro method, tell others to check your process, confront yourself with the hardest task at the beginning of the day, the “2-minute-rule” and many more) and yet you find yourself procrastinating. Again, and again.

This article will present three new ways on how to tackle procrastination. The main theme is to raise your level of joy in fulfilling the task.

Number 1: Keep an “current state”-list and update it several times per day
It is as if you are keeping a diary about your process. Write down what you must do and update yourself about half an hour later on the process and how you feel.

Number 2: Bring the fun in!
You are a human being and therefore you can make yourself feel joy in everything that you want to feel joyful for. Add color (at least when tasks are in draft mode), take time to reflect on thoughts, take time to plan, allow yourself to have pleasurable thoughts on how good it will feel to finish whatever dreading task that it is you have to finish). Be creative and find small ways to add fun to your task. Try positive affirmations throughout the day as they will release beneficial hormones that will make you feel good and strengthen your willpower to keep going.

Number 3: Done is better than perfect
If you let go of the idea doing everything to perfection, you will have an easier life. However, this is not possible for many people as they have high expectations to themselves and see tasks as non-worthy if they should not aim for 100 %. These expectations can cause you to freeze and not start at all. Therefore, try to put aside perfection at least for the start. If you must write an essay or want to write a book, allow the first draft to be awful. Every piece of writing will become better with revision. One very wise thing that I have learned from a former professor of mine: “The hardest thing you have to do is to let go of the piece you have been creating. It will never be finished- it can always be revised. Therefore, you have to find the courage to put a finish line underneath it.”

I hope these tips will help you to start or continue your task that overwhelm you.