How to Trick Your Brain Into Overcoming Procrastination

Overcoming procrastination is critical if you hope to make your writing dreams come true.

You may blame yourself for not getting your projects done, but new research shows that approach won’t help. In fact, the key to getting past procrastination may be something you’ve never tried: compassion.

Why A Writer’s Brain Resists Overcoming Procrastination

You probably know how it goes. You think about the writing project you want to work on but then you decide you’re too stressed to think clearly, too tired to write coherently, or too brain dead to produce anything truly creative.

So you start to do something else and then blame yourself for wimping out. You may use phrases like, Why do you always do this? or You just don’t have any willpower.

Then you think, I should start writing now, but then I’ll be more rested tomorrow, and on and on it goes.

Turns out it’s not just you causing the problem—it’s your brain.

How Your Brain Whines When Overcoming Procrastination

Whenever we’re faced with a difficult or distasteful task—writing and writing-related projects can be either or both—the brain launches a sort of civil war.

The limbic system, which is responsible for emotions and sensations of pleasure, wants us to enjoy ourselves now, not later. The prefrontal cortex (responsible for planning and decision making) wants to get your project done.

The problem is, the limbic system often possesses the stronger army. It’s the part of the brain that helps you jerk your hand out of a fire, or run when you come face to face with a tiger. It’s automatic and powerful, which means it can be tough to resist.

This is one of the main reasons why when you think about that writing project, you cave in to your own desires to watch an hour of television instead—your limbic system is strongly pushing you to do the things it knows will bring you pleasure.

The prefrontal cortex possesses the weaker defenses, partly because it’s a newer part of the brain. Thousands of years ago, we were controlled largely by instinct, similar to the way animals are, and that came from the limbic system. The prefrontal cortex developed later, right behind the forehead, but it operates differently. Instead of providing an automatic response, it actually requires you to jumpstart it.

It’s sort of like the limbic system has a machine gun fully loaded and ready to fire, while the prefrontal cortex has a rifle stored in the back closet that needs to be unpacked.

Understanding the war that goes on in the brain can help you see why it’s difficult to overcome procrastination, but it doesn’t help you get going on that writing project. What will?

7 Ways to Trick Yourself into Overcoming Procrastination

The key to getting past your brain’s tendency to drop you in front of the television or video game console rather than in front of the blank page is to engage in some military deception.

You need to trick the brain into doing what you want it to do.

Berating yourself isn’t going to help. Telling yourself to suck it up won’t, either. But one or more of the following techniques just might. Before you try them, though, realize you need to forgive yourself for past procrastination. If you stay trapped in a cycle of self-blame, it will be hard to establish new habits.

Instead, wipe the slate clean and agree with yourself that you’re going to start over, then use one or more of the following tips to trick your brain into getting started.

1. Make the start of the project fun.

Remember your limbic system wants you to enjoy yourself, so give in a little. Find a way to make this project you have to do fun, at least in the beginning.

Maybe you can promise yourself your favorite cup of coffee when you sit down to write, or some other sort of treat that compels you.

Turn on your favorite music to get you going, or use a calming sound like that of an ocean or small creek. By the way, the more often you do this, the less procrastination will bother you, because your brain will start to see the beginning of any project as something pleasurable.

For writers, reading is usually fun, so give yourself a limited number of time (or pages) to read first, then move into your project. Decide you’ll read one page of a story, or two blogs on the subject you’re working on. Maybe you read two blogs about effective freebies to attract subscribers. This can work for you in two ways—it’s usually more fun to do, so it leads you in, and once you start researching, it’s likely to make getting started on your own project more appealing.

2. Shrink the project to rob procrastination of its power.

We usually procrastinate because we perceive the project in front of us to be difficult. That means if you find a way to make the project easier, your brain won’t rebel so much.

Maybe you reduce the word count you’re requiring of yourself—you’ll only write 50 words instead of 500, for example. Or you decide you’ll brainstorm only 5 ideas for a freebie to attract your readers, or spend just ten minutes researching new ways to market your books.

Take the project in front of you and cut it down to its smallest size. The important thing is to make it easy to get started. Once you get going, you’ll probably get into the project and want to keep working. All you have to do is trick the brain into thinking this thing you want to do is a piece of cake.

3. Set a timer and blast past procrastination.

This is another way to make the project in front of you seem easy. Decide you’ll work on it—whatever it is—for 10 minutes only.

Set your timer and go. Get as much done in that ten minutes as you can. Apply your focus and attention at your highest ability, and then you’re done!

This approach not only makes the project seem easier, it also provides you with something important when it comes to overcoming procrastination: progress. Every time you make progress on your project, it feels good, and your brain likes it. That means next time you think about working on that project, you’re brain is likely to see it as a fun rather than a difficult thing.

So set that timer for 10 minutes, work hard, and then quit if you want to, and see how you feel about doing another 10 minutes the next day.

4. Get together with another writer and overcome procrastination together.

What may seem difficult and unpleasant when you have to do it by yourself can become fun if you’re doing it with someone else. Some writers invest in shared office spaces for this reason—it’s simply easier to get things done if you’re around other people who are getting things done, too.

But you don’t have to rent a space to take advantage of this effect. Simply get together with another writer at someone’s house, or even at a café, library, or coffee shop. Make it a weekly or twice-weekly appointment, and you’re both likely to get more done, and have fun doing it.

5. When overcoming procrastination, make your writing environment more inviting.

Take a second look at where you do your writing work. Is it inviting and comfortable? Do you like working there? Do you have equipment you enjoy working with?

If you’re not too enthusiastic about your writing space, consider upgrading it. Paint the walls with some new colors, put up new artwork, invest in a comfortable chair, and make sure your computer equipment is accommodating. Make it entirely yours.

Any of these steps can make it seem more fun to do the project you want to do, because you’ll look forward to spending time in your writing nook.

6. Ignore what procrastination tells you and use rewards.

Remember—your limbic system is holding you hostage. If you really want to get started on your writing project and you’ve been procrastinating on it, it’s because your emotions are ruling your actions.

This can be particularly difficult for writers, as we often feel we write better when we’re in the mood. But step back and think a moment about how often you are in the ideal “mood” for writing. If you’re realistic about it, it’s probably not often.

Our emotions are ever changing, and they’re not reliable. If you want to succeed in your writing goals, you have to ignore how you may feel on any particular day, and simply get to work. Use the other techniques on this list, and then make it a habit to reward yourself when you overcome procrastination and get some work done.

Grant yourself a coveted treat, take a walk, forego some other project (like doing the dishes), play a favorite game—it doesn’t matter what the reward is, only that you regularly reward yourself every time you overcome procrastination. If you do this regularly, your brain’s limbic system will start looking forward to that reward, making it easier for you to get to work.

7. To overcome procrastination, change how you talk to yourself.

You need to trick your brain into believing the project you have ahead of you is something you really want to do.

Unfortunately, how we usually talk to ourselves only reinforces the brain’s idea that  this project is going to be difficult and unpleasant.

Think about what you say to yourself before getting to work. “I have to finish this chapter,” is a common one. In fact, “I have to” probably precedes most statements writers say to themselves when contemplating projects. “I need to” is another common one. All of these are usually spoken with a resigned tone of voice.

If you want to convince your brain this is a good thing you’re thinking about working on, change your words. “I want to” is a good option—I want to finish this chapter, or I want to get a new freebie done for my newsletter subscribers.

If you want to amp it up even more, try “I can’t wait to finish this chapter!” or “I’m so excited about getting a new freebie up on the website.” Even if you don’t feel this excited, statements like these can change your outlook.

It may be just enough to get you started, and then it’s all downhill from there.

(For more help on defeating negative self talk, read “How to Rephrase Your Self Talk to Boost Your Writer’s Confidence.“)

How do you trick your brain into getting started on a writing project?

Note: For more help overcoming procrastination and finishing your projects, check out our course, “How to Finish the Creative Projects You Start!”

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Source
Spencer, A. (2011, March 18). The Science Behind Procrastination. Retrieved from https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination