Procrastination haunts us whatever we do. Sometimes we can’t deal with it even suffering from its negative effect. If procrastinating on homework led to the bane of your scholastic existence, delaying posts leads to the bane of your professional being. But getting started can be tricky. There seem to be so many other things to do.
Is it possible to beat this bad habit without the Herculean effort? Yes. Here’re 7 simple strategies to stop procrastinating and start blogging.
- Prioritize blogging and schedule it.
If your usual excuse for not working on the next post is “I don’t have enough time for that” then it’s just not your priority.
If blogging is your vocation, you have to find time for it. As simple as that. Check your timetable, if you have it. Find a few time spans and reserve it for writing your article.
There’s an obvious difference between these two statements:
- I will write one blog post this week.
- At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, I will sit down and write a blog post.
The first statement expresses a vague intention, while the second one is a strong commitment. Which of them do you think is more likely to result in publishing a post on your blog?
- Block your favorite time-eaters.
Like the majority of procrastinators, you prefer scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or another social networking platform instead of working, don’t you?
Avoiding your favorite pastime can be the toughest. Programs like SelfControl and Anti-Social will help you resist the temptation to visit your social net account. If you’re fond of reading, sit far from your bookshelves. If you’re a video gamer, ask someone to hide your games from you for a few hours. You’ve got the point.
- Break the pattern.
In college, I used to think that I’m a night owl. I preferred to write my academic essay in the evening or even at night, instead of asking for help academic writing service https
Approach your work and daily routine in an unusual way. It can increase your productivity. Here’re a few ideas:
- Use a pen and paper instead of typing.
- Don’t check your Facebook page for a whole day.
- Don’t use the Internet. Work offline.
- Set deadlines that work.
If you have time limits, and still aren’t working, you don’t know how to create deadlines. Read on to learn.
- Set a timer for 20 or 40 minutes. Then write fast without editing and additional research on the Internet. You may be amazed at the number of words you can write in such a short time.
- Notify your friend or family member that you’re going to finish your article by a specific time.
- If the previous trick is not motivating enough, bet 10 bucks, or write an essay instead of them in case you fail.
- Blog about something you’re passionate about.
Piers Steel, Ph.D. is an author of a great book “The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things off and Start Getting Stuff Done”. He writes that people are less likely to procrastinate on more valuable tasks. The value is defined by two factors:
- how much joy you get from performing the task itself;
- the importance of the external reward the completed task may bring you.
I hate writing about things that seem unexciting to me. In college, I even asked essay writing service to write a paper for me three times. The topics were so boring that I fell asleep on the second line of the introduction.
What I like about blogging is the freedom to choose the topic. It’s something I’m interested in and I enjoy the process. Writing blog posts is a rewarding activity for me. Make blogging a valuable task and write about the things that truly excite you.
- Increase the external reward.
As you know from the previous point, the better reward you expect to get for completing a particular task, the more valuable you find it, and the more likely you’re to do it. Thus, you need to make blogging a highly rewarding task.
The primary goal of blogging is having your post read by a wide audience. Here’s some advice on how to attract a readership:
- Learn search engine optimization so that your intended audience can find your blog.
- Share your posts on social media.
- Spend 15-20 minutes every day commenting on the posts at popular blogs. Other commentators may click back to your blog.
- Change the location.
Sometimes we need a change of scenery. Take your laptop and go to a local café, a park or the library. Set a goal for the time of working at the location. For example, to write 500 words. Stay there until you finish.
I like to write in one café where other visitors also work at their laptops. Their concentration keeps me involved in work for some reason. Their productivity is transmitted to me as an invisible energy. Right now I’m sitting here and finishing my writing.
You made it to the end of the post. Congratulations on taking the first step towards overcoming procrastination. Sooner or later, these tips will make you forget what it is. And the next issue you will browse will be “How to increase productivity”.
