10 Ways to Deal with Writer’s Procrastination

Welcome to “Ask the Coach.” As a writing coach, I answer questions from writers about making the work of writing happen, tackling craft, business, and personal questions along the way. (Have a question you’d like answered? Check the details at the end of the article about how to submit one.)

Today I’m responding to a question about procrastination.

First, you’re not alone. Many writers struggle with procrastination, if not all, at least at some point in their writing lives.

Procrastination is one of the many ways fear manifests for writers, along with perfectionism, paralysis, self-doubt, negative self-esteem, and more. These are all forms of writing “resistance,” which is an oppositional force artists, writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs face. It works hard to keep us “safe” from taking risks, usually based on past and childhood experiences that have taught us to avoid certain kinds of exposure or self-expression. Procrastination — putting off doing the work — is a way of managing the fear and anxiety we feel.

Unfortunately, procrastination is like a band-aid on top of an infected wound. Because procrastinating doesn’t resolve the underlying anxiety or fear, it simply delays it. If anything, even while procrastinating, we’re still walking around with a (low, sometimes) level of fear and anxiety.

The beautiful thing is that writing is the ultimate cure-all for the fear once we can get ourselves to take the actions and do the work.

Here are some strategies for dealing with procrastination — some tried and true, and some newer approaches I've been using lately myself. 

Set a timer and write for a super short increment of time. Five, ten, or fifteen minutes can be a good place to start. Yes, you won’t get a lot done in that amount of time.

But — and this is critically important — that’s not the point. The point is to demonstrate to your scared inner self that you won’t die if you work on the script. No monsters will rise from the dark corners of your closet or from under the bed. In fact, you might even have fun writing and want to do more of it. The magnificent amount of relief you’ll feel will be something to lean on when you do it again tomorrow.

Sometimes it helps to have a deadline or goal for writing in order to create a sense of urgency that overrides the fear and anxiety. Many people procrastinate “until the last minute” so the key is to create a “last minute” for yourself — though ideally one that’s more sustainable than a true last minute Hail Mary.

For example, you might work with a writing coach or take a writing class where the deadline structure is built in to help you commit and deliver work. This works best when you have some kind of external accountability built in — even a writing buddy you commit to sending pages to (whether or not they read them) can serve.

Similarly, it can help to map out a timeline for your work. This is a more self-directed approach and involves doing a little “writing math.” How long does it usually take you to create an outline? How long does it typically take you to write 10 pages? (If you don’t know, pay attention next time and see if you can gauge it.)

When you know your pace and have an overall desired completion date, work backward to reverse-engineer daily or weekly targets to get to your goal. It’s a way of breaking down the work into more manageable bites. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.)

The key advantage here is the smaller amounts are less likely to trigger procrastination. It’s a lot easier to tell yourself, Time to knock out my 5 pages instead of, I have to work on my script today. The distinction is the manageable size and the specificity of the daily target.

If you procrastinate today, start over. Either start over immediately, and go write for a while right now (It’s OK, I’ll wait!), or give yourself permission to have a “pass” today and pick up writing tomorrow. Then do it with a clear conscience.

Sometimes writers struggle to write during regular working hours when others have expectations of us (or we do) or if we have a regular day job that makes that impossible. In this case, it may feel easier to write earlier in the morning or later at night when there are reduced expectations from the outside world. They are both liminal times of day that can feel easier to write in.

And, as promised, here are some newer approaches to dealing with procrastination.

I spent most of the last year recovering from burnout and a pretty terrible creative wound. I put my focus on “showing up” to write, more than anything else. That meant that some days I’d show up to write and get nowhere. It also meant that some days I would. But if I did show up (sit down with my laptop or writing journal and make an attempt), I would give myself credit for the work even if it wasn’t particularly productive. It helped even out the ups and downs of recovery and created a sense of progress and momentum.

I also emphasized “finding my way” to the page. Because I’d built up so much resistance and self-doubt because of the creative wound, I worked on reconnecting with my joy and love of writing to overcome the fear and draw me to the page. I did this by listening to music that inspired me (uplifting soundtrack music in particular), listening to podcasts that make me laugh (looking at you, Smartless), getting plenty of sleep, and focusing on enjoying time with my family. While these things are not obviously and directly related to writing, taking care of my mental and emotional well-being allows me to connect to the deeper feelings I want to get onto the page.

This may be verboten to say, but occasionally procrastination is useful. Despite the guilt we feel about procrastinating, sometimes the resistance is guidance from our inner selves. 

Maybe your ideas are percolating. Perhaps there’s an issue with your story and you can’t solve it at the desk, but the answer will come in the shower or while scrubbing the toilet. And sometimes it IS a matter of sitting down at the desk and writing. 

YOU are the only one who will know, and it’s part of the job description to suss out which is which. Are you procrastinating because there’s something you need to discover another way? Or are you procrastinating because you’re afraid to be seen, heard, or read?

As you mentioned in your original question, you feel better when you write. Pay attention to that. For some of us, the feeling state we get as a result of writing (relief, joy, excitement) is motivating. Sure, there may be days that don’t go as well or don’t feel as good in the exact moment of writing. But after the fact? When you’re struggling to write, remind yourself how good you feel when you’re engaged with the purely creative act and process of writing, regardless of the outcome or result.

And, DO recognize the powerful underlying fears that drive you to avoid the very thing you feel called to do. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to do it. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It means, in fact, it’s something you probably need to do. So be aware of the fears and take care of yourself along the way. One of my favorite strategies when fear comes up is to make myself as cozy and supported as possible. Think: a cup of tea, a cozy spot to write, and nice music. At least that’s my way. What’s yours?

Warmly,

Jenna

What are your favorite ways to push past procrastination? I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for reading, and happy writing.

Screenwriters, what challenges do you run into that you'd love to see us address in our articles? Take our short survey here, submit your question to be answered anonymously via my online form here, or email me directly at askthecoach@calledtowrite.com. Look for answers to selected questions in my monthly “Ask the Coach” column on the third Thursday of the month.

Find me on Twitter @JennaAvery and Bluesky @jennaavery.bsky.social.