Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing

This article discusses two core factors that will help you to overcome procrastination and start writing. As a freelance writer it is very important to have a clear line drawn between the time you spend thinking about writing an article and actually beginning the process of writing it. I agree that it may not be as simple as it sounds. However, if you are able to adopt these simple writing tips, you will soon be on your way to developing a freely flowing article writing temperament which will ensure that you are able to deliver high quality articles without too much of procrastination.

Have a clear focus - Know what you want to write about: It is very important that you know beforehand what you are planning to write about. Most writers end up in a fix as they begin to write because they have actually not thought about what they are planning to write about. This lack of focus ends you in a fix. Avoid this pitfall. There may be a million ideas rolling up in your head, but before you head for your desk to start writing decide what you are planning to write about. Having a clear focus helps you to build the flow of your thoughts as you are writing. You will often find advice which suggests that you must just let your thoughts flow freely. However, rarely will you find any freelance writer being successful without having a clear direction about what he or she wants to write.

Have a clear goal - Decide when you want to complete your writing: The second most important aspect of being able to stop procrastinating and start writing is to have a clear goal on when you want to write. Just telling yourself that you will write the article does not imply a commitment on your part. It only means that you have an expressed desire to write. What is important is that you have to demonstrate a clear commitment to write. To demonstrate this kind of commitment you need to have a clear target with a defined implication. For example, set yourself a timeframe. Decide that you will write X number of articles within a timeframe. For instance, I started of setting up a timeframe of 10 articles in a day. With a full time job in hand, I was never able to achieve it, but it made me happy to think that I had a target to achieve. It helped me to define what success meant to me. Even if I was only able to complete 5 articles by the end of day, I was happy that I had succeeded in achieving something which otherwise I would have been a mere thought.

These are two of the most important aspects of stopping yourself from procrastinating and actually beginning to write. I look forward to your feedback and hearing your ideas about how you stop procrastination and start writing.