Many writers and aspiring authors struggle with motivation. In particular, many of us grapple with getting started.

It seems simple enough. Yet we find that social media beckons the moment we will ourselves to sit down. Emails that were previously ignored now need to be urgently checked. Maybe that mess or those neglected stray items in the work space assume a new-found importance and need to be put away. Or perhaps that other creative work or project, put off for so long, glows with newfound appeal.

Procrastination is a powerful force that can feel like it has a life of its own. To take a line from this fantastic lecture on procrastination: “A writer loves nothing more than an interruption”

Suddenly we’ve parted with that half hour, or hour, or two hours we’d allocated to writing. We know our time has been filled with something. It’s just that we’re not that much closer to achieving what we set out to do.

But we know we can do this?

The thing is, we know we’re capable of sitting down, focussing, and getting things done.

Because we’ve done it before.

We’ve planned structure or characters without falling into a ‘research’ rabbit hole. We’ve written a rough-but-passable first draft, knowing when to bypass difficult sections, and when to pursue depths in others. And we’ve reached that point when we know it’s time to stop after multiple drafts and edits.

We’ve all had solid, distraction-free, productive sessions that we can look back on, free of guilt, because they (hopefully) occurred when we wanted them to, during the time we’d set planned for, rather than at some late hour after we felt bad about frittering the day.

And yet, though we rationally know that we’re capable of such achievements, so many of us struggle to find the motivation to simply begin this thing we call writing. Even though we know that emerging from a productive session make us feel fulfilled and that doing it brings us closer to our objective – one that, once completed, provides further contentment still.

So why do we keep falling into that trap?

The psychology of procrastination is complex and I have neither the qualifications nor the space to provide an accurate or worthwhile commentary.

To simplify what is an enormously complex aspect of the human condition, procrastination occurs due to the complex interrelation of fear, stress, anxiety, self-justification, confidence, guilt, the brain’s reward mechanism and much more. There are so many psychological and biological processes going on that it’d be impossible to provide a simple answer in this limited space.

But I do know this: most situations in which we procrastinate are of our own making. So often it may feel like we’re not in control of our actions, when in fact, the thing that prevents us from forging ahead is easily overcome.

More broadly: most things in the universe that are beyond our control (many philosophers even argue that almost everything is beyond our control). When it comes to writing, though, starting on that creative work ain’t one of them.

An ancient idea

Understanding what is and what isn’t under your control is a concept that features prominently in Doctor Russ Harris’ self-help book The Happiness Trap. Now, I’m not a big fan of the genre – the closest I get is dense, dry philosophical texts or quasi-philosophical books on Stoicism and Stoic philosophy. Nonetheless, I’m determined to read all the books in the house (I’ll be done in about 4000 years), plus I believe in the merit of reading something from an expert (as Bill Nye said: “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t”).

Doctor Harris says the following in the books’ closing chapter:

No matter what sort of problematic situation you encounter in life, there are only ever two sensible courses of action:

1. Accept it.

2. Take effective action to improve it.

Of course, sometimes the only way to improve the situation is to leave it. But if you can’t leave it and if no effective action is possible right now, then the only option is to accept it until you can take effective action.”

He continues:

Whatever you attempt to do, you’ll get the best results when you focus on what is in your control (and the worst results when you focus on what’s not in your control). So what is in your control? Well, mainly two things: your actions and your attention. You can control the actions you take, no matter what your thoughts and feelings may be telling you… And you can control how you direct your attention.

This concept is not new. In fact, the ancient idea that the world is comprised of uncontrollable forces is found in religion (e.g. you can control your actions, but you can’t control the divine), various eastern and western philosophies (it’s a central idea of Stoic philosophy), and many forms of mental health treatment like the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that forms the substance of Doctor Harris’ book.

Beating procrastination, step by step

Back to procrastinating. Here are a few simple steps worth considering, starting with a simple question: what is it that can’t be controlled?

• Can you move your hand to the mouse and open that work in progress? Good.
• Can you ignore or switch off those notifications? Good.
• Can you focus on reading the last page or paragraph where you left off? Good.
• While going over it, can you resist the temptation to get up and do something else? Good. Stick with it. You’re getting somewhere now.
• Now start writing. Just one sentence. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to fill a line or two. Better sentences will come later. Like a car warming up on a cold morning, the initial output will not be the ideal mix. Better sentences will come later (and, most likely, sooner than you thought) and will be delivered far more efficiently.
• Still resisting the urge to check your phone or email or other notification? Good.
• Keep going. Now do more sentences and turn them into a paragraph. Then do two. You’re a third of the way down the page which means you’re not far from filling a whole page.
• Before you know it, you’ll find a rhythm. You’ll be in the swing of things and you might even lose track of how many pages you get through..
• And then? Look back with satisfaction on the solid work you just did.

And you know why this is easier than you think?

Because everything described here is almost certainly in your control.