IMAGE ID: A man is sprawled face down on a couch. A laptop sits on the floor next to him. One hand is lazily placed on the keyboard.
No matter what we call it, most writers struggle with procrastination. When we procrastinate, we might consider ourselves to be lazy. Once that thought crosses our minds, the negative internal dialogue starts, and then we’re caught in a cycle that can keep us from achieving our writing goals.
We ruminate over procrastinating, feel bad, procrastinate more, and feel worse.
Experts say procrastination is related to the regulating of emotions, not poor time management skills. A 2013 study revealed that we often choose activities that promote “short-term mood repair” over “the longer-term pursuit of intended actions.”
Humans tend to avoid inherently unpleasant tasks, whether those tasks are difficult, boring, stressful, or scary. And let’s face it, writing is hard. Stressful. Maybe even scary. After all, we writers have a lot to say, a lot to share, and when we can’t accomplish that, we feel bad. Our emotions take over.
In those moments, organizing the holiday gift-wrapping supplies sounds better than sitting down to write.
Writing is a challenging endeavor, and not every session will be productive. As Ernest Hemingway famously said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” However, it’s important for writers to remember self-compassion, quiet the internal dialogue, and get to work.
Image ID: Amy, a caucasian woman with brown hair and glasses, smiles facing the camera. Behind her is a large tree.
Amy Cecil Holm is Allegory Editing’s resident Copy Editor and Proofreader. As a copy editor and proofreader, Amy draws upon more than three decades of teaching college English to help authors polish their prose. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in creative writing and has worked as a journalist, technical writer, and educator. Amy has taught courses in English composition, literature, creative writing, journalistic writing, business writing, and developmental reading, among others. She has a keen understanding of grammar, punctuation, and diction and uses her careful attention to detail to help prepare manuscripts for submission and publication.
