“Procrastination is the thief of time.” – Edward Young

Have you ever been serious about writing, but lacked the drive and ambition to actually write anything down? Staring at that blank piece of paper or computer screen can get frustrating, and putting in zero effort is a waste of time. There are a few bold words that describe this lack of motivation. They tend to get in the way of those creative experiences that we crave, but end up neglecting.

One of those is the incredibly uninviting word:

Procrastination

In order to maintain success and keep things rolling with your writing goals, it’s crucial that you fight off any procrastination and negative energy that gets you in that uninspired mood. Below are a few tips to help keep you motivated to write every time you have the opportunity. Have your readers in mind when you’re thinking about your next set of articles!

1. Start with Something You Love: Passion. Dedication. Consistency. These are the power words that should be in your vocabulary surrounding your writing. As with any talent, you need to have the urge to continue improving. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to write your first article or hundredth, you have to love what you do! When you’re researching material or are waist deep in constructing the layout of your next article, reflect on how you feel about the process. If you’re uncomfortable and it feels like W-O-R-K, improve your mindset or focus on a different niche.

2. Let Your Writing Ease Your Stress: Everyone has stress at some point. There are no perfect days where everything worked out ‘perfectly’ without a single moment of irritation (highway traffic tends to back up this claim). If you can learn how to rise above the stress and put more effort into ‘letting it go’ through your writing, amazing results are sure to follow. Some relieve stress through exercise, social events, or a more common stress reliever… eating. Why not use writing? It’s both productive and relaxing. It’s one of the best ways to keep your mind alert and to let your creativity lead you to success. You can even write down recurring stressful situations in your day and work on eliminating them one by one.

3. Allow Yourself Time to Improve Your Technique: Procrastination can dig deep into your productivity and give you reasons to do nothing. However, it’s acceptable to take breaks from your work. Use your downtime to improve your writing technique by thinking about the direction(s) you would like to go. It will take time to perfect your craft. The sooner you realize that time is your friend, not your enemy, the sooner you will be able to make better use of it to generate your best material. One of the best ways to remain constructive when you’re taking a break from writing is reading! Check out this article to learn 5 Ways Reading Can Encourage Better Writing Techniques.

4. Take a Trip and Explore an Area in Your Niche: We could all use a vacation at some point; the weekend always goes by so fast! Many people have the time and resources to travel to exotic locations at a moment’s notice. This is not the reality for the majority of us. Think about the niche in which you focus your expertise and explore it further with a road trip. Are there any specific cities nearby that can help you learn more about your niche? If not, you should at least take a notepad or other data-collecting device to capture your surroundings. You never know what you’re going to find when you actively explore new places. Be prepared!

5. Write Down Your Goals: Setting a goal for yourself can be as simple as “I want to write more.” However, saying this to yourself doesn’t always give you the motivation you need when procrastination is blocking your way. You need to write them down and put effort into creating milestones with quality checks. Make sure your goals are achievable and that you are able to stay consistent with your writing. Envision how your next writing piece will turn out and work toward it with unrivaled devotion. Continue making progress with your goals each day. This blog can help you eliminate distractions; it may be the advice you need to awaken your potential!

6. Confront Your Fear of Living Up to Expectations: It can be a challenge to write consistently and be ‘in the moment’ when you’re trying to write. You’ll often get pressured by time constraints or updates from business associates to finish a project. Living up to expectations should give you a sense of pride as you write. Sometimes you need to focus less on pleasing others and just face your fears head on. The only battle you should be fighting is to beat writer’s block. Come up with the best content for your readers. Get back your confidence!

7. Revisit Old Books and Articles: An excellent way for you to restore passion for your work and kickstart a new project is to reflect on the past. It’s a healthy practice to look back on prior successes in order to see your potential and where you can improve. If you have old books, articles or even artwork that you’ve created, get ’em out! If you can’t visualize your next idea easily, revisit old work to gain a spark again. Everyone is unique in their own way. You don’t always have to stay in the present to increase your expertise.

Well, how did you feel about our tips on getting authors back into writing mode? Are you procrastinating finishing the rest of this article? There are only a few more lines… promise.

If you’d like to pass on some encouragement for other writers, preferably those who are just starting out, we can certainly help in that area. Take a look at our article titled 10 Ways to Inspire, Motivate, and Encourage a Young Writer for some helpful ways to inspire others to share their knowledge as well.

If you have any desire to comment on what you’ve just read, now is the time. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

P.S. Do you have a great story or testimonial to share about how EzineArticles has helped you? We’d love to hear! Send Your Testimonials to EzineArticles.