Do you procrastinate? Here’s a clever solution. According to James Surowiecki in his New Yorker article on procrastination, Victor Hugo would write in the nude and tell his valet not to give him any clothes until he finished for the day. Of course, in order for such a plan to work, one would need a valet. What are your tricks for avoiding procrastination?
2 responses to “Procrastination”
Well, I tend to do anything I can to get the task needed to be completed out of my mind. The more I think about something, the more frustrated it can be to figure out how to accomplish it. Exercising, reading, or simply getting out of the element (house, studio, environment) can be great for clearing my mind and coming back to the task at hand with renewed enthusiasm. It all may sound like I’m avoiding the task, however, if I’m able to use the time to do something else that needs to be done then the time isn’t wasted. Doing simple things like laundry, yard work or other mundane things that need to be done can be a great motivator for getting back to the one thing you actually want to do.
Taking a walk or a nap often works for me! Sometimes I’ll have a breakthrough thought when I am far away from my computer.