I just got home from a mini get-away with a few of my best friends. While I had the best of intentions when it came to prepping this post ahead of time, here I am, a few hours away from when it should go up, feeling completely braindead. Rather than offer a poor attempt at the topic I had in mind, I thought I would bring you all along on my procrastination journey.
Step 1: Set up Your Space
It’s hard to focus when your work area is a mess. The night is still young, so you might as well start things out right by straightening up your desk.
Step 2: Find Some Snacks
Obviously you are going to need sustenance to continue. You aren’t going to write anything of quality on an empty stomach.
Step 3: Browse Facebook
As a blogger, I spend a decent chunk of time reading articles I come across on Facebook. The social media platform can also be really helpful in choosing a relevent topic, since trending issues tend to be things people want to read about.
Step 3: Make Tea
I live in a basement. Basements get cold. If you get cold, like me, you should probably go make some tea.
Step 4: Look up Something Relevant on Youtube, then Lose Yourself in a Spiral of Unrelated Videos
I don’t know what it is, but I am a sucker for Top Ten videos. Maybe it’s because they make me feel like I’ve watched a bunch of different movies in under ten minutes. Maybe it’s because the narrator tends to have a soothing voice. Either way, they are sitting there waiting for me every time I turn to the site. Sometimes, I’ll pop over to youtube to watch one of these tempting time-killers while I’m sipping my first cup of tea. But even if I was originally searching for a more relevent video, I’ll often wind up thoughtlessly clicking on something else when it pops up.
Step 5: Take an Exercise Break
Feeling stiff? Maybe you should stop and do some yoga. Or you could go for a quick run. You never know. Maybe all that cold air will energize you so that you can get some writing done.
Step 6: Sleep on it
I’ve found that when it comes to writing, some days words will easily pour onto a page, and other days it’s as hard as making rich people pay their taxes. I used to always force myself to write something, anything, even if I hated it the next day, and while there are certainly times where there is no way around just getting the job done, sometimes a good night’s sleep is all you need to organize your ideas.
At any rate, that’s what I’m hoping for.
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