The process in which one delays or postpones doing something is usually known as procrastination. Most of them procrastinate when it comes to students because they cannot deal with some of the challenging tasks that they have with them, boredom, frustrations, anxiety, or fear of failure. It is very easy for writers to put off some challenging tasks until the last minute when it comes to writing. However, for the writers, procrastination can leave them stressed and frustrated. The writers cannot showcase their best writing skills when working under pressure or last minute. To understand how to deal with procrastination, we need to understand its different types and its causes.
Types of procrastination
- Perfectionist procrastination
If you are obsessed with perfection as a writer, it is easy to catch up with this kind of procrastination. If you always want to have the best work, you will self-criticize and not be too impressed with your work. Most perfectionist writers have a fear of producing work that is of low quality. They also have a fear of failure constantly. It makes them be overwhelmed and eventually stall in their process of writing.
- Anxious procrastination
It happens when anxiety causes a writer to put off their writing. This anxiety is caused by either the fear of beginning or finishing a task. It mostly arises when the writer on a cognitive level finds a project challenging.
- Fun procrastination
Most students prefer to engage in activities that are fun and exciting. Participating in projects like writing feels challenging, boring, and time-consuming. It tempts the students to focus more on things that make them happy. They tend to forget doing things projects that are stressful and exhausting.
- Enough time procrastination
When the writers know that they have enough time on their hands before submitting their work, they have difficulty starting or completing the project. When someone thinks that there is enough time, they tend to focus on other things. Significant projects are put off till the last minute. The assumption that time is in plenty gives people the wrong attitude. It leaves you focusing on other things, and when the essential projects are due, you rush through them and produce not quality work at the end.
- Ways to avoid procrastination
It may be a hard task for many writers. But, writers can follow some guidelines to avoid falling into the trap of procrastination and enable them to produce in their writing pursuits.
- Be organized
One of the best, if not the best, way to tackle procrastination is by being organized. You need to figure out what tasks are a priority, be aware of all the projects you are involved in, and create a schedule to help you attend your activities. Your schedule should have realistic timelines. It enables you to work on your writing goals steadily and be able to accomplish your tasks on time.
Conclusion
There are different ways to avoid procrastination in your life. To add to these: you can set goals that are simple and achievable. When the tasks seem challenging, many people put them off. Set a deadline for yourself and also identify any distractions and get rid of them completely. But the most major one is to start your project. It is usually the hardest. But once you start the process, the process of writing becomes smoother.
