A Creative's Guide to Tackle Procrastination
- Adilla
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
You open your Word document, digital art software, or notebook. Ideas running around in your mind, visualising your creative expectations and outcomes. Your eyes travel everywhere but to what’s in front of you.
Sound familiar?
Procrastination might be holding onto your senses, preventing you from even starting your creative endeavours. Then, before it affects you and your work, overcoming procrastination in creative projects should be handled.
Why Creatives Procrastinate?
There are a handful of factors why creatives would procrastinate. Typically, the reason would be the fear of failure and the need to be perfect when an abundance of ideas flock to their mind. So, they become overwhelmed and then end up not starting at all. Then, how do you stop procrastinating as a creative?
7 Practical Techniques to Stop Putting Things Off
Procrastination can be challenging to break free from, but it’s not impossible. Here are some techniques for you to beat procrastination and stop putting things off for designers and writers alike:
Break Your Task Down to Even Smaller Bites
When you list down your tasks, do you feel that twinge of fear when you see the task as ‘Create Product Design’? Eliminating the fear of a daunting task can prevent procrastination from kicking in. One of the ways is through micro-commitments for artists.
Why artists specifically?
What people don’t realise is that a creative task comes with several steps before getting to create the design. So, if you break down your task into creating micro commitments, you will be less likely to feel intimidated and build momentum to start your work.
Minimise Distractions
Unfortunately, we are in a world where distractions can be found anywhere, including at the tips of our fingers. Do yourself a favour and close all potential distractions: social media, entertainment websites and switching on ‘Do Not Disturb’ on your phone.
Utilise Sparks of Dopamine from Your Project Management Tools
Have you wondered why you tend to scroll excessively through social media? The dopamine hits that you get from looking at something that pleases you can be used with your daily tasks.
For example, project management tools come with features that show your tasks, so being able to check your task as ‘complete’ would give you the same dopamine release. Take advantage of the “tiny wins” you get from it.
Embrace Imperfection
As mentioned previously, perfectionism is one of the factors why creatives procrastinate. Sometimes, you don’t have to get it right or perfect; letting go once you have done the best that you can do is enough. Thus, you don’t have to aim for 100%; you can still go for 90%, and it’ll still be good.
‘Trick’ Your Brain
This is something Mark Forster shared from his book ‘Do It Tomorrow’, where you can trick your brain to jumpstart your task even if it is challenging. Instead of “I’ll do this task right now,” you can say, “I’m not doing it right now; I’m just preparing for it.” It short-circuits your brain’s resistance to that feeling of reluctance to start. It will trigger your body to start the work automatically, despite your thinking that you’re only preparing.
Keep A Buddy to Help You Stay in Line
Similar to the concept of body doubling, this ‘buddy’ will help remind you to stay committed to your work while you remind them to do theirs, too. They can also help in making sure you’ve done the work that you promised. The idea of reporting back to someone, especially a trusting one, can motivate you to do your work.
Work Short Periods with Pomodoro
This may have been something you’ve heard before, but don’t knock it till you try it. Doing short bursts of work every 15 to 20 minutes can build up your work momentum and give you better resting time in between, too.
Besides that, there’s something called the 5-minute rule: start work creatively, where you start on your task for just 5 minutes to jumpstart your task and overcome mental inertia.
2-Week Starter Plan to Start Anti-Procrastination Streak
Key Takeaways
With consistency and good daily habits, beating procrastination can get easier.
Procrastination may not be your own fault, as creatives are more emotionally in tune with themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is procrastination from laziness or anxiety?
While it can stem from both, procrastination mostly comes from anxiety. The overwhelming filming that contributes to anxiety would cause an outcome of procrastination.
Can I overcome my procrastination with these practices?
Yes, with consistency, you will be able to overcome procrastination with the practices we’ve shared above.
Can I use productivity apps to ‘fix’ my procrastination?
Yes, you can use productivity apps to help beat your procrastination. But to fix it entirely, it comes with reminders and schedules that could help you stay on track and build habits.
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
Comments