How I Beat ‘Writing Procrastination’ With This Simple Trick
Every. Single. Time.
Go on. Admit it. You love to write, but you dread it too.
We’ve all been there.
Hell! I was there just a few minutes before writing this article. But I used my one simple trick, and now you’re reading this!
We’ll do everything EXCEPT write.
It’s human nature.
Been there. Done that. Still doing it. Got the t-shirt and the underwear too.
True story: There was once I went to the dentist just to avoid having to write. That’s how bad it was.
See.. we know we need to write…
But we’ll do everything else from checking our emails to outlining plots to figuring out how Scrivener works to checking our emails again…
And on and on it goes. Anything and everything but writing.
“It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”— Steven Pressfield
So Why Do We Avoid, Shirk, Elude, Procrastinate, Postpone and Defer Our Writing?
Ok… I got carried away with Thesaurus.com.
But I’ll keep this short. Writing is a cerebral process.
In fact, two hours of solid writing can feel more mentally draining and exhausting than a training session at the gym.
There’s no easy way to say it. Writing is hard work… and our minds fear hard work.
It’s a self-preservation mechanism designed to keep us ‘safe’ and happy.
But since nothing grows in the comfort zone, we know we must write - even if it means discomfort.
Yet, we still resist… because…
We’re fighting our own minds…
And in most cases, we’ll lose.
Or we’ll be so tired from battling ourselves that when we finally get down to it, we lack the energy required for deep work.
The good news is that I stumbled upon a simple mind hack that actually works.
It’s so straightforward that it seems dumb. Yet, it works every single time.
Here’s a brutal truth: Just because you overcome resistance and write today doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find it easier to start writing tomorrow.
This is a daily battle for most writers - even the good ones! But my writing hack will help you win this battle.
“Ok! Ok! Dammit, Arun! Just tell me what your lame hack is!”
My Wonderful Writing Hack!
I’m going to pretend I invented it. Because why the hell not.
Whenever I need to write, but feel unmotivated or I’m finding irrelevant stuff to do, I tell myself…
“Self! You will write for just 2 minutes! Easy peasy Japanesey!”
Ok. I don’t actually say the Japanesey part. (The things I have to do to hold readers’ attention on Medium. 🙄)
When you commit to writing for just 2 minutes, your mind will not resist you because it doesn’t view the task as a threat.
Anyone can write for a measly 2 minutes. The time will fly.
So your mind will not try to ‘protect’ you from the work and it’ll comply more easily with your wishes.
Suddenly, it becomes easier for you to find the discipline to write.
And that’s where the magic’s at!
Here’s What Happens When You Write for 2 Minutes!
By some strange miracle of nature, you’ll keep going even once the 2 minutes are up.
You could stop at any time if you’re still not feeling it.
But in most cases, once you start, your mind will no longer resist you.
You may even write for hours without stopping for breaks.
You’ll then realize that Steven Pressfield was indeed right. The biggest struggle you’ll face is sitting down to write.
But once you start, it’ll be… yes… easy peasy Japanesey.
Writing is work, but it’s not as scary as your mind makes it out to be.
In fact, once you’re done with your daily writing quota, you’ll give yourself a pat on your non-Japanese shoulder and feel a sense of accomplishment!
That’s all there is to it!
This simple mind hack may seem ridiculous on the surface, but don’t let its simplicity fool you.
Give it a try and you’ll be amazed at how effective it is.
I have a love-hate relationship with writing — but I’ve used this trick to write thousands of articles.
This mind hack it has helped me become one of the top white label content creators around. I don’t want to brag, though I do enjoy it. Whatever.
Just humor me and give this 2-minute writing hack a try. You’ll be glad you did.
You’re welcome.
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