Creative Process: Eight Tips to Kick Your Procrastination Habit

Feeling stuck? Here are our top tips to help rev your creative engine when you’re stuck in a procrastination rut.

1. Take a walk or do some stretching just before you sit down to work. Studies show that changing your environment, oxygenating your system and using your body can help to focus your mind upon return.

2. Make a list of what you have to do. Tackle the biggest, scariest, or least fun things first. Once those are done, the rest of the list will flow easily and the big, scary, un-fun things usually aren’t as bad as we make them out to be in our head.

3. If you must procrastinate (and sometimes it’s inevitable…), procrastinate with a purpose! Give yourself a time limit (say 10 minutes) to check your email, flick through your newsfeed, or text your best mate back. This way you won’t be wondering what you’re missing when you do #4 on the list.

4. Unplug. Turn your phone on silent, close your email tab, even something as small as closing the door to your workspace can signal your subconscious mind that it’s time to get shit done.

5. Remember your “why”. Why do you want to do the project in the first place? How will it feel when you’re done and have this off your plate? Take a few minutes to think about that, picture exactly how satisfied you’ll feel, and settle into the work with the end goal in mind.

6. Put something down on the paper/computer/canvas, even if you feel inspiration hasn’t struck yet. One idea will lead to the next, and at the very least, if you end up with something unusable, you’ll know what doesn’t work.

7. Treat yo’self while you work. Make yourself your favourite cuppa, grab a little bikkie, slice some lemon into your water, whatever floats your boat. Make it a treat to get down to creative business.

8. When you find yourself struggling to heave-ho the work, tell yourself, “It doesn’t have to get finished today. It just has to get started today.” (Unless of course, your deadline is today. Then you better stop reading this and get to work now.)

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