Procrastination Vs. Success as a Freelance Writer

I'm a procrastinator, especially when things aren't going the way I want. It's so easy when times are hard to sink into depression and miss opportunities because you did not take action when you should have. Even when the world seems to be crashing down around you, it's better to plod along than to stand still.

Over the years, I've missed out on quite a few good things due to my procrastination. I've seen opportunities come my way that required me to actually do something -- submit an application, write a resume, put together a portfolio -- and the "I'll do that tomorrow" syndrome kept me from getting it done. Of course, tomorrow comes and other things distract you and you never get to the tasks you put off.

One thing I've put off for over a year is learning to write query letters. I used the excuse that I needed money now, so writing for print publications that pay far into the future was not a priority. Now I see that if I had done those queries a year ago, I would have had money coming in now, when I need it. Not having my byline in print has also cost me some opportunities I could have had.

I've found a few tips that have helped me with my procrastination, and it doesn't involve setting goals or making any kind of complicated schedule. They are very simple things that any procrastination-prone freelance writer can and should do.

• Write it Down
  It's been proven that you retain information better if you write it than if you only see or hear it. Also, if it is written somewhere and kept in plain site, you won't forget it. I'm talking about actual writing here, not typing it onto a sticky on your desktop, which will get closed and forgotten if it gets in the way of whatever is distracting you at the moment. I'm talking about putting a pen to paper and making a list and putting it somewhere prominent where it is constantly visible. If you work at a desk, one of those large calendar deskpads works well for this.
  
  
• Force Yourself to Get Started
  One of my clients gives me titles that are boring and require a lot of research. It's easy to procrastinate when you stare at a dry, uninteresting topic. If you are like me, once you start, it's hard to stop until it's completed. Even so, I sometimes find myself only completing a small portion before I put it aside, and taking several small sessions to actually complete it, but it eventually gets done. If I hadn't ever started it, I would have lost that income and maybe the client.
  
  
• Do Your Most Dreaded Tasks First
  While your mind is sharp and you have energy to spare, jump onto the things you will likely put off if you try to tackle them when you're tired. I find blogging and social networking easy, even late at night when I'm exhausted from a long day of writing, so I save that for last. It's like a reward for getting through the more difficult things.
  
  
• Write to Pay Your Next Bill
  It's all well and good to have goals you want to meet every day, but if you simply put a bill in front of yourself and write enough to pay that bill, that is all the goal planning you need. If you want something extra, write yourself an IOU for it, and put it at the bottom of the stack of bills. The quicker you get those bills "written," the faster you'll get to what you really want.
  
  
• Write Yourself Out of Depression
  Nothing beats depression like knowing your bills are paid, buying something new for yourself or being able to take that trip to see a loved one. You can't have any of that if you sit around and convince yourself that you are too depressed to write that day...or week...or month. I've let depression keep me from working for weeks at a time in the past, but no more. Even if I only write one article a day, or only do my blogs posts, I write something that is going to earn me some "anti-depressant" money. I understand all about depression, because I'm an untreatable chronic depressive, and I understand this isn't possible for everyone, but try it. It may just work for you.
  

Last, but not least, be good to yourself. I not only procrastinate work, I procrastinate self-care at times. Take a bubble bath, get your hair done, give yourself a manicure, or just rent that video you've been wanting to see. If you feel good about yourself, you'll feel better about everything else in your life, and you won't want to put off enjoying it.