Have you ever been in front of your computer, fingers on the keys, and icy hot panic running through your veins? You look at the clock every 10 seconds, mentally calculating how long until you’ve waited too long. You’ve had weeks to do this, and yet here you are – last minute, wasting all your time wondering why you procrastinate.
Such is the life of a student. Or a professional . Or a musician.
We wait. We wait for inspiration to strike. We wait for a few spare hours. We wait for a moment away from distraction. We wait for a clear head. We wait until we’ve eaten. We wait until we’ve had a good night sleep. We wait…
And then we panic. And in our state of panic, we block everything we’ve been waiting for. We block creativity and clarity and time. Precious, fleeting time.
So how do you salvage this moment?
Here are 7 things to try when procrastinating is your self-ordered fate.
Stand up! Get the blood flowing to your toes. Stretch your back, take a deep breath, and relax.
Get outside. Breathe fresh air. Whether it’s -10˚ or 110˚, get outside. There’s nothing like vitamin D to get the creative juices flowing!
Move! This goes along with standing up and getting outside, but it deserves its own category. Whether it’s a quick walk to get a glass of water, or a 3 mile run, motion is sure to get your mind in a better creative place.
Grab a pen and paper. Not the computer keys. Paper and pens, pencils, crayons, and markers channel a different type of creativity that might not be blocked by the constant distraction of a clock.
Go somewhere uncomfortable. Get out of your comfort zone. Get out of the comfortable habits of your mind. So often we just go through the motions – we don’t think – so this is an opportunity to jump start those creative juices! Whether it’s an ethnic market where you don’t speak the language or a farm where you have no idea what is going on, get uncomfortable.
Set small goals. Don’t think about how your deadline for 5 pages is in 2 hours. Instead, try to get one page done in 15 minutes. Don’t worry about mile 26 when you just ran past mile 1. Baby steps.
Embrace imperfection. There is nothing like perfectionism to stand in the way of progress. The moment you can embrace your imperfection, you allow yourself the opportunity to improve. To create.
Go! Create! Time crunch or not, allow yourself the gift of creating.