I Procrastinate for Days Before Writing Stories — I Do It on Purpose
Follow my recipe for bringing ideas to life
Writer's block doesn't exist if you don't write.
I heard a story once that procrastination is a devil in disguise. It looks like having an assignment but waiting until the last moment to complete it. Instead of working, you choose to waste the days away eating Cheetohs on the couch instead of digging into the work.
I say there's a proper form of procrastination. It's one that most people don't practice because they don't know about it.
Here's what I mean, and here's how it can change your habits.
The raw state of procrastination
Let's look at procrastination as an ingredient for your grandma's favorite dish.
If you've ever had rhubarb pie, you know what I'm talking about. The way you take a stringy plant and turn it into a sweet and decadent dessert that reminds you of better days is one I like to use in all aspects of life.
Procrastination is the same. It's a raw ingredient you pluck out of the ground because it's easy to do. It takes a little effort to turn it into something useful.
In its raw form, procrastination is the act of delaying the inevitable.
Those dishes in the sink aren't going to wash themselves
You've used the same towel three times now because you've been too lazy to wash them
That book is collecting physical dust on your shelf
I remember writing an extra credit essay one hour before a college class started. Instead of writing the paper ahead of time, I wasted time calculating whether I'd get a B or an A in the class if I did it or not. When I realized I could squeeze by with an A-, I wrote the fastest essay of my life.
Straight from the source, procrastination is toxic to humans. But even rhubarb pie can taste good if you combine it with the right ingredients.
Capture an idea — store it in the bank
Ideas come and go like the wind.
When you capture an idea with your metaphorical idea-catching net, it's a part of you for the time being. The thing is, if I came up with an idea, and wrote about it immediately, most of my stories would look like a half-baked potato.
The trick is to recognize when you aren't at your creative peak. Any factor can play into this. One of the big ones is work, of course. It drains you of all your mental energy and all you want to do after a long day is go home, make dinner, and watch TV waiting out the time until you wake up in the morning to go again.
Being a creative individual is hard. You feel like you have to produce so that your world isn't thrown off its axis. You find sparring moments to do some work. But when you're too tired, or something is pressing on your mind, it's better to shut the laptop or put the paint away because you're not capable in the moment of producing your best work.
Instead, invest your idea. Accumulate new ideas by walking your dog, talking to friends, and negotiating with clients, and those ideas can accommodate the big picture you have planned for a book, blog post, or whatever project you're working on.
Newsworthy vs. Evergreen
On my first day as an assistant sports editor for a daily newspaper, the editor asked me to write down ten evergreen story ideas.
I was like, what the hell are these? I'm here to cover games and interview coaches; those are pressing stories. Evergreen content saved our byline one too many times. They save me now daily.
The reason evergreen stories are so helpful is that they have real-world use cases that aren't limited to the present. A news story is an old news once the day passes. People are still reading my evergreen content from months ago.
That difference is what led me here to blogging. It also helped me get over the hump of my productivity guilt. When an evergreen story isn't ready to be written, it's okay! A great big hole isn't going to appear in front of me and take me down with it.
Some stories, like this one, needed to be written in a day and then published the next. That's because there was breaking news I wanted to be the first to cover.
Other stories can take all the time they need to develop. There's no rush to get these stories out there because they aren't going anywhere. I captured them, imprinted them on my magical computer, and I can go back to them whenever I want to write about them.
The origin of ideas
There's no such thing as an original thought anymore.
I tried explaining this to my friend, who doubted himself for wanting to start a video game streaming channel. He doesn't think anyone will care about his content. I told him he was a silly goose and that people don't fall in love with the content: they fall in love with the creator.
The vanilla versions of every story imaginable have already been told, but it doesn't matter as a creator. What matters is how you spin it with your personality. As my old sports editor would ask, "what's your angle?"
What makes a basketball game different from another basketball game? Groups of five dribbled a ball down the court, and one team scored more than the other. That's surface-level thinking. An award-winning journalist brings pop culture into the mix, asks about the emotions on the bench, and they come up with punny titles.
Ideas are captured at surface level. However, to get all the juice out of them, you need to dive beneath the surface.
How to season your ideas
Some ideas need to marinate in the fridge for a few days.
Bloggers and writers especially should realize that feeling of utter failure to put words to paper is a superpower. It's a sign from the angel on your shoulder saying, "Hey buddy, go do something else right now. Your mind just isn't in the right place right now. Take a shower or go on a jog. It'll come to you."
I'm not talking about writer's block here. I'm referring to your mind and body repelling you from the computer.
Confident writers follow this recipe
Step 1: Close your laptop. Just do it. It won't hurt.
Step 2: Do something where rules are required. In writing, besides using proper grammar, there are no rules. This means what you produce is open to many interpretations, and that fact alone can be draining.
Step 2a: Wash dishes, bake a cake, take your dog on a walk. Even walking has rules. You put one foot in front of the other. Meticulous activities are suitable because they are easy to do and make you feel accomplished.
Step 3: Focus on what pays the bills. Writing isn't most people's primary source of income. It can't be when it's that hard to be a writer.
Step 4: Get inspired by something other than your own writing, i.e., listen to music, go to a museum, watch a film, or gaze at the sunset until you're surrounded by darkness. Let others or the earth's art speak to you.
You don't have to put all the pressure on yourself.
Bottom line
Being born creative isn't precisely a curse. Instead, it's an obligation.
Elizabeth Gilbert says it best in her book, Big Magic:
“But if your calling is to make things, then you still have to make things in order to live out your highest creative potential — and also in order to remain sane.”
Creativity is a matter of being the best version of yourself. It's not just about filling the gaps between home life and work.
Creativity is a wave that washes over you when it feels like it. Sometimes it's just the low tide, and there isn't anything there for you. Take it all in. I've learned that experience is the most excellent teacher.
Just remember where you were a year ago. Think of where you are now and dream of where you will be.
Remember that growth isn't linear.